


Communion By Flame

by midnitelily



Category: True Blood (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:28:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22794001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnitelily/pseuds/midnitelily
Summary: Eric always gets what he wants. But what if there was one woman that got away? What would happen if she came back...and how does she know Godric? Did Eric really know her as well as he thought? Eric/OC, won't follow too closely to the series or books.
Relationships: Eric Northman/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29





	1. Revisiting the Past With a Bang

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse Novels. The only character I own is Ailis. 
> 
> This story will not follow the book or the series completely. There will be some corresponding parts, but many times it will be a separate plot line. I hope that is ok with everyone.
> 
> This is my first fiction on this site, and my first Eric fiction, but he's my favorite, so I could not resist. Just be kind with me.
> 
> Read and review, it will be most appreciated. Thanks!

On the horizon, below a smattering of stars, a small black dot appeared. Mere moments passed before the quiet balmy stillness of the bayou was broken by the hum of a powerful engine. The black dot soon materialized into a sleek black profile, the hum drowning into a feral roar. The black profile, which upon closer look was in actuality a Maybach Exelero 02, soon slowed down to an abrupt stop on the side of the road.

No noise or movement could be seen from the car. Suddenly, the door flew open, startling a flock of resting birds into taking flight, chittering angrily. The occupant gave them only a fleeting, irritated look before fully climbing out of her seat, coming to a halt upon the side of the road.

Taking a deep breath of the Louisiana air, the female felt a small smile spread across her lips as she reflected softly on finally being home again.

Turning her attention to the sign on her left, she immediately felt her face turn into a frown.

WELCOME TO SHREVEPORT!

Well, if that don't just kill a moment, she thought sourly. 'Welcome' my happy ass.

She walked forward softly, contemplating the sign calmly. She turned away slowly, whipping around at the last moment, kicking the sign squarely. As she watched the post vibrate violently she couldn't help but smile acidly. Childish, yes, but she couldn't suppress the vindictive shiver coursing up her spine.

Shaking herself quickly, she turned herself back to the moment at hand. Looking over to her right, off in the distance, she ascertained the distinctive glow of downtown Shreveport. She couldn't help the sneer that slowly spread itself over her features.

A slow bubbling anger she hadn't felt in months started to course its way through her veins. Staring into that glow, she felt all the hate and disgust explode out of the very depths of her soul, taking her completely by surprise. Apparently she hadn't locked it away as effectively as she thought. Screaming loudly in anger and shame she directed her pain at the sign beside her.

Watching the words explode into flames fed the fury within her, placating the beast for the moment. Listening to the crackle of the fire calmed her nerves, and slowly the anger receded back to the box she was usually good at keeping a tight lock on. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply, allowing the heat of the blaze and the smell of home cleanse her mind.

Opening her eyes, she watched the sign start to melt and cave into itself. Realizing what she had allowed to happen, what she had allowed him to do to her, she cursed sharply at the silent night sky.

Turning on her heel, she walked determinedly back to the car, wrenching the door open violently. Sliding in, she couldn't help but let out a soft sigh at the feel of the leather caressing her body, accepting her like a second skin.

He had something right at least, she mused absently to herself.

Realizing that her mind had turned to him twice in the space of ten minutes, she slammed her hands forcefully against the steering wheel. She would not think about him again! Fuck. Him!

Berating herself harshly she wrung the key in the ignition fiercely, trying to drown her thoughts in the growl emanating from the engine.

She was supposed to be starting a new life, forgetting the past, not wallowing in it!

It was time she started keeping that in mind.

Looking over at what remained of the sign, she gave into her childishness one more time.

Smiling serenely, she flipped the smoldering ruin off as she roared by, effectively trying to leave her past obscured within her dust. She resisted the pull to look in the rearview mirror, determined to never give him a second thought.


	2. Painting and Unwanted Musings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a little bit of a closer look at Ailis….and we see her get ready to meet the interesting denizens of Bon Temps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you so much for reading my work!!
> 
> I do not own anything associate with True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse Novels.
> 
> Read, enjoy, comment!!

Flipping her hair off her forehead with a frustrated huff, Ailis straightened her back and groaned in pain. Reaching up, she wiped sweat off her brow, slowly surveying the room. Rubbing softly at the middle of her back, she let her eyes sweep the room, doing a mental checklist. It wasn't much, but at least she had the basics. Couch, table, carpeting, TV? Check.

  
Looking at the walls, Ailis scowled and rubbed her back harder. The least that damn landlord could have done was to have the rooms painted before he rented it to her! Granted the house wasn't much, but still. Thanks to that penny-pinching asshole she'd spent the last eight hours painting every wall in her five room house, due to the fact that what little paint there had been on the walls was such a putrescent brown she thought she would get sick just looking at it.

  
She had to admit, she'd done a pretty good fucking job, even though she'd never painted walls in her life. And the soft cream was a definite improvement to say the least.

  
Brushing her hands off, she walked slowly into the kitchen, making a beeline for the fridge. Opening it, she breathed a soft sigh as she reached down and plucked a beer off the shelf. Wrenching the top off, she threw her head back and took a long pull at the bottle, draining half in that one sip. She lowered the beer, smacking her lips in satisfaction and then eyed the shelves in the fridge. There wasn't much in there.

  
She had milk, beer and a bag of cheese. Not exactly anything to make a balanced meal with. Hell, she didn't even think she had any bread. Just one more thing to add to the growing list of things she needed to get done.

  
Sighing deeply, she turned, kicking the fridge door closed and walked out of the kitchen and down the hall to her small bathroom. The top thing on her list of things to do was to take a shower. She felt grimy, and she had just about as much paint on her as there was on the walls

.  
She let her clothes drop to the floor as she walked across the room to the shower, turned the water on until it was so hot it could scald her and then stepped in.

Bending her head under the spray, she groaned in relief as she let the spray massage her aching shoulders.

  
Reaching behind her, she grabbed her body wash and started working it into her skin, scrubbing hard at the random splashes of paint she came across. Getting to her stomach she felt her fingers skim the three raised marks marring her skin.

  
Her mind immediately tried to flash back to the moment she got them and she used all of her willpower to keep her mind in the present. She immediately started to panic. She had to be stupid to think she had actually put it all behind her, that she had actually effectively buried it. And just what in the hell was she doing here anyway? She was back in fucking Louisiana, not more than an hour from him! What the hell made her decide to come here? Had she lost her mind? He would surely find her. After all she had gone through to get away, she had to come back and put herself within arm's reach!

  
Breathing heavily, she leaned her head against the wall and squeezed her eyes shut, cursing loudly at herself. She would not let herself think about the past, she couldn't think about the past! It wouldn't do any good and it sure as hell would not change anything.

  
She started to berate herself for her moment of weakness. She was fine, she had been fine for months and she would continue to be fine dammit. He had no idea where she was, he hadn't had any idea for almost eight months now. And she was in Bon Temps for pete's sake. Why in hell would he ever come to Bon Temps? That was the whole point of her coming here. It was a small town, so there was no real possibility that she would run into him, or any vamps in a place like this for that matter. This was a place where she could be back home in Louisiana, make a life for herself and effectively live her life without ever having to deal with him again. Plus, she'd been gone for eight months, not to mention she had never been one to hide her hatred and distaste for him. He wasn't the type to pine over someone, especially a woman, nor was he the type to worry about someone who had been out of his life for so long. No, she was kidding herself if she thought he even remembered who she was.

  
She felt a soft twinge in her stomach at the thought that he probably had forgotten her, and immediately cursed herself again. There was no way in hell she was going to have a pity party for herself in regards to him. Shaking her head roughly, she grabbed her shampoo and started to vigorously wash her hair, turning her mind to more important matters.

  
She needed to go into town and take care of some pressing issues, like food and a job. She had nothing to eat in the house, and she really needed some money. The only thing of value that she had was her baby out in the driveway, and that had been a gift.

  
She smiled serenely at the thought of her car, and she couldn't help but remember fondly the day she got it and the man who had given it to her. Thinking about Godric made her heart squeeze painfully, and she felt a hot tear make its way slowly down her cheek. She didn't realize just how much she missed him, and how alone she really was right now. She had no one.

  
Huffing angrily at herself, she reached forward and yanked the handle down turning the shower off. What the hell was the matter with her? What was with all the sentimental crap and all the waterworks? She needed to get her head together.

  
Stepping out of the shower onto the bath rug, Ailis reached to the towel rack and wrapped a fluffy towel around herself. Drying her body off briskly, she wrapped the towel around her head and opened the bathroom door, walking across the hall to her bedroom.

  
Walking to the battered chair against the wall, she flipped her worn leather suitcase open and ruffled through the meager supply of clothes. Selecting an old pair of boxers and a pink tank top, she pushed the lid back down and walked to her mattress. Pulling the clothes on, she turned and walked back to the door flipping the light switch off.

  
She sighed deeply and sought the comfort of her air mattress, burrowing deeply below the sheets. She prayed silently that sleep would take her soon and her mind would do no more wandering for the evening. Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes, making one more mental note to go out the next day and find her a job, and then hopefully still have enough money for some groceries.

  
Turning on her side, she made the final promise to herself to fully embrace her new life and to completely and totally forget anything and everything that ever had to do with Eric Northman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed.
> 
> Please let me know what you think. Eric will make an appearance soon, I promise.


	3. The Calm Before The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ailis meets the resident telepath...and she might even get a job on the same day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I don't own True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse Novels. Ailis and many of these plot points are the only things I own.
> 
> Thanks to all those who have read my story. I super appreciate it. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

A loud banging on her front door roused Ailis from a deep slumber. Scrunching her eyes against the bright sunlight shining through her window right onto her face, she made a note to get curtains as soon as she possibly could.

Groaning angrily when the banging continued, she slipped out from her warm covers and stretched widely. Yawning loudly, she stomped down the hall to her door. This better be good, she thought furiously. No one could ever have called Ailis a morning person.

Wrenching her door open she glared at the person standing on her porch. The glare soon turned into a very confused frown. She was looking at someone she had never seen before in her life.

The little blonde on her porch had the widest grin on her face, her brown eyes sparkling happily. How the hell could someone look that chipper this early in the morning?  
Before Ailis could say anything the blonde stuck out her hand.

"How ya'll doing? I'm sorry to come knocking so loudly on your door so early in the morning. I'm sure you just want to kill me don't ya?" The blonde chuckled merrily.

Ailis figured the girl didn't want to hear that the thought of hitting her over the head for waking her up so early in the morning had crossed her mind, so she smiled faintly and shook the blonde's hand quickly.

"I don't mean to be rude, but um…who are you?" Ailis asked, leaning heavily against the door jamb. She was trying her damndest to be nice, but there was only so much she could this early in the morning, and being woken up by a complete stranger.

The blonde smacked herself softly in the middle of the forehead. "Oh, you must think me a complete dolt. I'm Sookie Stackhouse. I live just down the street there," she said cheerfully, pointing down the street to the right.

Ailis didn't look to see where she was pointing. She could really care less this early in the morning. She seriously hoped that this wasn't supposed to be some welcome wagon, social call or whatever. It was way too early and she hadn't had any coffee yet.

"Ailis McCullough," Ailis grumbled out. "Look, as nice as it is to meet ya Sookie, could I ask why you're here at," she looked down at her watch and had to keep from letting her mouth hang open, "8:30 in the morning?" She had to pat herself on the back. Though she wanted to scream at this girl and shake her, asking her why the hell any decent person would be up this early, much less waking someone else in the process, she had been very civil.

"Oh, I know it's early. But see, my car is in the shop right now, and I was making breakfast. I just love making a homemade breakfast whenever I get the chance. Biscuits, eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, grits-".

"Sookie," Ailis almost shouted. She smiled softly to take the bite out of her words as the blonde jumped a little and eyed her warily. "What is that I can do for you?"

Sookie blushed sheepishly. "Sorry, I know I talk too much, especially when I meet someone new. I'll just cut to the quick.

Thank God, Ailis whispered silently to herself.

"My car, like I said-".

"Is in the shop," Ailis finished for her, having to control herself to keep from waving her hand to have Sookie speed up the story.

"Right," Sookie smiled widely. "Well, I just realized that I don't have any milk in the house to speak of. I was wondering if you might have any that I could borrow. Plus, I figured after seeing your car here, I could come down and introduce myself to my new neighbor."

Ailis couldn't help but smile at the blonde. Sookie's enthusiasm was infectious. She couldn't really find in herself to be mad at her anymore. Nodding softly, she motioned for Sookie to follow her as she headed to the kitchen.

"You'll have to excuse the look of the place," Ailis apologized over her shoulder. "I just moved in the day before yesterday. So, basically all I have gotten done is painting and getting the essentials."

Sookie giggled softly. "Oh don't worry. I've seen worse places believe me."

Ailis paused at the counter and looked at Sookie. She wasn't sure whether to take that as a slur or compliment. Seeing Sookie's open and guiless face she decided not to take offence.

Walking to the fridge, she opened it and took out the milk jug. Turning back to Sookie, she chuckled softly. "You're lucky; this is one of the few things I actually have in my kitchen. If you'd asked for sugar or bread, you'd have been out of luck."

Sookie laughed along with her, and then frowned. "You don't have anything here?" she asked.

Ailis shook her head. "Nope. I had planned on going into town today go shopping for necessities, and then hopefully find a job."

Sookie smiled widely, a gleam coming into her eye making Ailis eye her warily. "What?"

"Well, I know I can take care of getting you a good meal this morning and helping you shop and I just might be able to help you get a job."

Ailis shook her head quickly. She hated charity and she hated feeling like she owed people. "Sookie, there's no need for you to do that. I don't want you to go through any trouble. Plus, you don't even know me."

Sookie waved her hand at all she said, smiling softly. "It's no big deal. Really. You need to eat, and I will have more than enough food at the house. Plus, you're new to town; I can show you around, help ya find what ya need. As for the job, it's no big deal. I work at a bar outside town called Merlotte's. We are in dire need of waitresses. It would be no problem getting you to talk to Sam, the owner. We're neighbors; I'm doing my neighborly duty. Not to mention that I hope we could be friends. I'm always happy to make a new friend." Sookie smiled at her happily, daring her to find flaws with her logic.

Ailis hated to admit it, Sookie had a point. She knew when she had been beat, and she was going to be as graceful in her defeat as possible. Grinning widely, she laughed loudly and held her hands up. "Alright, you win. Let me get a shower and get ready and then I'll come down to the house, ok?"

Sookie nodded enthusiastically. Grabbing the milk, she walked to the door. "I'm just two houses down on the right, the one with the big green lawn chair in the yard. Take your time ok?" She smiled over her shoulder, waving quickly, and then walked out the door, ponytail bouncing gaily.

Ailis shut the door behind her and breathed out in a whoosh. Wow, she's sure a big bucket of energy, Ailis thought with amusement.

Walking back down the hall, she entered the bathroom and stripped off her clothes, getting into the shower. Turning it up full-blast, Ailis let the hot water relax her shoulders and wake her fully.

She couldn't help but grin when she thought of Sookie. Last night she had been ready to cry at the thought that she was all alone here in Bon Temps, only to have the first potential friend she had had in a very long time.

Squealing happily to herself, something she would deny ever doing, because she did not squeal, she proceeded to wash her hair and body quickly. Rinsing herself off, she leaned over and turned the water off.

Stepping out she dried herself off quickly, and walked across the hall to her room. Flipping the leather suitcase open, she rummaged, looking for something suitable for meeting her potential new boss.

She didn't have much to choose from. Frowning softly, she picked a few things up, before finally settling on a black jean skirt that stopped about mid-thigh and a jewel green tank top with a scoop neck. Slipping on her little black ballerina flats, she walked back to the suitcase and reached into the side pocket. Bringing out her hand, she took the locket, bracelet and earrings out and put the rest of the contents back into the pocket. She slipped the charm bracelet onto her wrist, smiling when she heard the familiar tinkle of the trinkets hitting one another. She fastened the locket around her neck and then slipped in the gold hoops.

Going back to the bathroom, she reached under the sink and grabbed her hairdryer. She dried her hair straight, and then reached across the sink to grab her makeup. The green of the shirt was bringing out the green within her eyes, so she decided to go with smoky eyes to play up what she felt were her greatest features. After applying her lip gloss, she took one more look at herself in the mirror. Her burgundy hair was actually cooperating with her for once, not being completely unruly and frizzy. She knew that she was only 5'2" and that heels would make her look less diminutive, but she felt Sam needed to know what he was working with and she doubted she'd be wearing heels at a bar anyway.

Sticking her tongue out at her reflection, she walked into her bedroom, grabbed her phone and her small battered black purse, and walked back to the front door. 

Checking in her bag to make sure she had everything, she walked out, turning back to lock the door behind her.

Walking down the drive, she couldn't help but let her hand smooth its way down the side of her baby. She smiled, laughing out loud, the first carefree laugh she had heard herself give in months. Breathing deeply she finally felt that she might really be ok. Maybe Godric was right; maybe she really was stronger than she gave herself credit for.

Turning onto the road, Ailis smiled happily up at the sky. Whistling softly to herself, she finally allowed herself to feel the first stirrings of happiness, of hope. Everything was going to be ok, and for once, she believed it. Walking to Sookie's, all Ailis could see in front of her was possibilities. Nothing could possibly go wrong now, especially with her feeling as good as she was.

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading this chapter. I hope ya'll enjoyed it.
> 
> Like promised, there will be some Eric in the next chapter and I promise to get the next chapter up as soon as I possibly can.
> 
> Let me know what ya'll think so far.


	4. Some Startling Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of Ailis' talents are revealed..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all the attention to this story so far! I appreciate it.
> 
> I do not own True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse Novels.
> 
> Enjoy!!

Ailis looked up at Sookie's house, and the one word that came to mind was quaint. Sookie seemed so wholesome and cookie-cutter, so Ailis didn't expect anything less from the place she called home.

It was a generic farmhouse, with peeling white siding and gingham curtains hanging in the windows. The wraparound porch was complete with a porch swing. Ailis shook her head at the small town hokiness, but she couldn't suppress the swelling of her heart, knowing that this was just exactly what the doctor ordered.

Breathing deeply, she walked to the door and knocked loudly.

"It's open!" she heard Sookie yell from within.

She pushed the door open, closing it firmly behind her. She swept her eyes over the room, grinning widely. It was just as homey and quaint as she had expected.

"I love your house," Ailis said, walking towards where she thought the kitchen was; meaning towards all the noise.

"Thanks, you're just in time. Food's ready," Sookie replied, turning to Ailis after she laid the last plate on the table. "Dig in."

Ailis took a deep breath and almost groaned. "Mmm, smells good Sookie. I can't tell you the last time I had a home cooked meal. Thanks." She sat down at the table across from Sookie and started putting things on her plate.

As she got ready to dig into her breakfast, she realized that Sookie wasn't talking or moving for that matter. Looking up she saw that Sookie was staring at her like she had sprouted horns.

Confused she cocked her head, "Is there something wrong Sookie? Do I have something on my face?"

"I can't hear you, not at all," Sookie murmured softly, her face full of awe.

Ailis blinked at her, feeling like she was missing a big part of the conversation. "Um….ok. I'm completely lost."

Sookie blushed and dropped her eyes to the table. "Sorry, you just caught me by surprise is all," she said softly.

Ailis huffed, getting a little frustrated. "Sookie, what the hell are you talking about?"

Sookie twined her fingers together, twisting them nervously. "Well, I might as well tell you. The longer you stay in town and around me, the more likely you are to find out anyway." She fell silent, staring at her fingers.

Ailis was never known to be the most patient of people, especially when it came to things she didn't understand. She let Sookie sit there a moment and then huffed loudly.

"So…you gonna tell me or you gonna play with your fingers all day?" she asked tersely.

Sookie sighed loudly. "Sorry, I just don't want you to think I'm a freak."

Ailis laughed loudly, she couldn't help it. Out of anyone, she had no place to call anyone else a freak.

Sookie looked up at her, eyes hurt, misunderstanding her laughter.

Ailis shook her head. "I'll explain later. Just know I'm not laughing at you."

Sookie looked at her closely, trying to discern if Ailis was telling the truth. Apparently she saw what she needed to because she nodded her head. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. "I'm a telepath." She peeked out one eye to judge Ailis' reaction.

Ailis was stunned. She never would have expected to hear this out someone like Sookie. She just seemed so normal. But then again, she of all people should never assume anything. She felt her face turn into a frown as she allowed her mind to spiral into her own dark thoughts.

"Do you hate me?" she heard a small voice whisper from across the table.

Looking up, she saw Sookie looking over at her, her face crestfallen, tears swimming on the surface. She realized that Sookie took her silence as condemnation.

Ailis reached across the table and gripped Sookie's hand. She wasn't one to offer any kind of physical comfort, so she was sorta surprised at herself. But Sookie seemed to be bringing out all sorts of interesting sides to her. "I already told ya Sook, I am the last person who should judge anyone on being a freak." She patted Sookie's hand and then leaned back on her side of the table.

Sookie beamed at her. "That's good to hear. I'd hate to lose a brand new friend, and I like that you called me Sook. Makes me feel we really are friends."

Ailis couldn't help the smile that spread over her face when she looked over at Sookie. That girl really was infectious. "Glad I could brighten your day," Ailis said. She snorted, "That's an interesting concept, considering I'm usually bringing people's days down." She frowned again, and noticed that Sookie looked taken aback by her statement. She knew questions would stem from Sookie that she was nowhere near ready to answer. "So, what exactly did you mean you couldn't hear me?"

Sookie looked at her face closely, but seemed to know that Ailis wasn't willing to talk about anything else, so she decided not to push the subject. "Well, I can hear just about everyone's thoughts. Let me tell ya, it ain't fun," she grimaced darkly in disgust. "You can't imagine some of the things I hear."

"I'm sure," Ailis murmured sympathetically. She was very intrigued. She'd never met a telepath before. Plenty of other things, but never a telepath.

And the bad thing is, it's not like I want to. It just happens. I have to concentrate real hard to block it all out. I've gotten better at it over the years, but things still slip through, especially if I'm uber stressed out. So, you can imagine what a relief it is to not be able to hear your thoughts. You're just a blank space to me." Sookie looked at, the look of awe and wonder spreading across her face again.

Ailis cleared her throat, not liking being the center of attention. She hadn't wanted to get into her own powers and abilities, hoping to live a life of mundane normalness, heaven compared to life she had been living. She should have known that wouldn't happen.

Sighing loudly, she looked at Sookie. "I ain't nothing special Sookie." She knew she had to tell her something, but even Eric didn't know the full extent of her powers. "I'm an empath."

Sookie cocked her head to the side confused. "What's that?"

Ailis was used to that question. "I can feel people's emotions. I know what people are feeling at all times, and I can project my own feelings on people, making them feel whatever I want them to feel."

Sookie looked at her, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape. "Shut up. That's so cool," she murmured, smiling widely.

Ailis couldn't help but grin back. It was relieving to tell someone about herself and know that they wouldn't try and use it to their advantage. Even if she hadn't told the whole truth.

"Well, it will be nice being able to be around you and not hearing your thoughts. I can't tell you how hard it is to keep friends after hearing their deepest, darkest musings." Sookie made such a face that Ailis couldn't help but laugh.

She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so relaxed and had so much fun. She was pretty sure she could get used to living in Bon Temps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know...no Eric...he is coming shortly I promise....
> 
> Next chapter will be up soon.


	5. New Friends, New Job, Old Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ailis meets the good people of Merlott's...and her past rears its head...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again...I only own Ailis...sadly....
> 
> I do not own the Southern Vampire Novels or True Blood...
> 
> Please read, enjoy, comment!

After they finished eating, Ailis helped Sookie do the dishes though Sookie fought against the idea. It went against her Southern pride. Ailis protested that she herself was a Southern girl and her momma would be mortified if she knew she came to a friend's house to eat and didn't help with the clean up. Sookie finally relented, allowing Ailis to wash and she dried.

When the kitchen was clean, Sookie and Ailis went back down the street to pick up Ailis' car since Sookie's was in the shop. Sookie gave her direction to the grocery store in town, while the two of them got to know one another.

Sookie filled Ailis in on the ins and outs of the town. Who was who, who to avoid, people's quirks and who was supposed to be with who. She then went into details about the murders that had gone on in town, as well as the murder of her own grandmother.

Ailis looked over at her new friend in horror as she told her about Adele. "Oh Sookie, I'm so sorry. That must have been horrible. I can't even imagine." Seems there was a lot more to this little country girl than met the eye. Apparently she and Ailis had more in common than she thought.

Sookie waved her hand. "It was, but I'm learning to move past it. Things have calmed down and the murder was caught, so he isn't a threat anymore. I'm a lot stronger than people give me credit."

Ailis couldn't but smile in admiration at Sookie. She quickly changed the subject, and pretty soon they were in the store, looking for things that Ailis absolutely needed.

Sookie asked her questions about her own past. Ailis wasn't ready to spill out the whole sordid story of her life, nor was she sure that she ever would. She told Sookie that she was originally from Louisiana but said she was from New Orleans, not Shreveport. She talked about going overseas for awhile, talking about being in Greece, Italy, Ireland and Scotland. Sookie was enraptured, having never left the US before.

They got to talking about New Orleans and the food as they loaded her bags into the back of her car and then Sookie gave her directions to Merlotte's.

When they pulled into the parking lot, Ailis let out a sigh of relief. It looked like what one would expect a small town bar to look like. It was a bit of a dive, but it had a very friendly atmosphere to it. It definitely wasn't swanky, and there was bound to be nobody in there that would have ever seen her with Eric or that Eric would even know. She snorted at the idea of him ever deigning to step into a place like Merlotte's.

She stepped out of the car and followed Sookie to the door. As so went to step through, she got nervous. This was her first job interview in a long time and she was afraid she wouldn't be what Sam wanted. Ailis was never one who took rejection well.

Sookie looked back at her and smiled kindly when she noticed her nervousness. She came back and took a hold of Ailis' hand. "You look great, and you are fantastic. Sam will love you. You have nothing to worry about." She squeezed Ailis' hand reassuringly.

Ailis nodded and tried to smile confidently at Sookie. She must have succeeded, because Sookie turned to lead her into the bar. Ailis berated herself as she walked into the bar. Since when did she get attack of the nerves? She could do anything she set her mind to, hadn't she already proved that, in more dire circumstances than this for sure!

Following Sookie, she stepped in the bar and then stopped to allow her eyes to adjust to the change in lighting. As she was able to see more, she took a moment to survey her surroundings. It was very rustic. A lot of wood paneling, dead animals, rough floors. Definitely a small town bar, but she liked the feel of it. It wasn't pretentious or trying to be something it wasn't. Yeah, she definitely did not need to worry about Eric here.

Smiling widely, she strode across the floor to the bar where she saw Sookie leaning over; talking to a man that was bending over, fiddling with something on the floor.  
When the man stood up, he turned and smiled warmly at her. She felt waves of calm coming off the man, and she couldn't help but instantly like him. He was very handsome, in a very masculine way. His sandy brown hair was thick and wavy, and his beard was scruffy but neat. Needless to say, he was very easy on the eyes. He walked out from behind the bar, and she was able to get a better look at him. He was wearing a worn, checked, button up shirt tucked into well-worn jeans. His chest was muscular and his arms were very strong looking, the muscles working in them as he brought his hand up to brush his hair off his forehead. She found herself wondering what his butt looked like.

She mentally kicked herself. What was she thinking? This man was her potential boss!

"You must be Ailis. Sookie told me you might be looking for a job. I'm Sam, the owner." He held his hand out to her. His voice was low and warm; she loved how it seemed to caress her name.

Ailis took his hand into hers, enjoying the warmth and the slight roughened calluses. He definitely worked with his hands. She realized he was looking at her, waiting for her answer. She cleared her throat. "Yes, I'm Ailis, Ailis McCullough, and I am definitely looking for a job, that is if you have one." She kicked herself mentally, she needed to shut up. She was babbling. Since when did she ever get this nervous?

Sam smiled. "Oh I definitely have a job," he chuckled softly, and Ailis felt like she was missing something. "I need a waitress, do you have any experience?"

Ailis nodded, and realized he was still holding her hand. She slowly extracted it from him, needing to get a little distance from him, seeing as how he addled her mind so.

"A lifetime ago I was pretty good at waiting tables. I'm sure it's like riding a bicycle."

Sam looked her over closely, and Ailis did everything she could to hold his eye and not blush. Finally he nodded. "Ok, you got the job. You can start tonight. Sookie will show you the ropes and then you're on your own. Got it?"

Ailis nodded, grinning like mad. "Oh thank you Sam. You won't regret it, I promise." She surprised him and herself by grabbing his hand and squeezing and then walked over to Sookie. Sookie had an even bigger grin on her face, and a knowing gleam in her eye.

Ailis frowned at her. "What?"

Sookie shook her head, grinning mischievously. "Oh nothing."

Before she could ask Sookie what she was talking about, Sam called out to her. "Oh, and get Sookie to get you the extra uniform we have in the back." He looked her up and down, "I think it should fit you."

Ailis shivered softly at his look and nodded her head. "Sounds good Sam."

He smiled at her and then walked by towards the back. Ailis got a very good look at him from the back and realized she was right, he had a great butt.

Sookie led her back to Sam's office and showed her the cubbies. "This is where we keep all of our things during our shift."

Ailis nodded and set her purse on one of the shelves. She turned and Sookie handed her a packet, "Here is the extra uniform. There's a bathroom down the hall to the left."

Ailis thanked her and noticed that look still in her eye. Putting her hands on her hips she glared at her. "Ok, so what's with the look hmm?"

Sookie giggled loudly. "Oh honey, Sam has the hots for you, big time. And he just met you. Think how bad it'll be once he gets to know you." She wiggled her eyebrows knowingly.

Ailis rolled her eyes and huffed. "Oh don't be ridiculous Sook. Sam was just being nice."

Sookie laughed and walked out of the office. "Ok, don't listen to the telepath," she called over her shoulder as she walked towards the front of the restaurant.

Ailis took the uniform and went to the bathroom, mulling over Sookie's words. Sookie must have misheard something. There was no way Sam felt that way; he'd just met her! Getting involved with the boss was out of the question anyway, so it didn't matter. That was just asking for a whole world of trouble, and the last thing she wanted in her new life was trouble. That had been what she had been trying so hard to get away from and stay away from it she would.

Having made up her mind, she opened the packet and pulled out the white shirt with the Merlotte's insignia on it, a pair of very short black shorts and an apron. Good thing she had worn her flats.

Changing into her uniform, she had to admit she looked good. The shorts were a little short and she knew she would probably be self conscious all night, but she could do with that. She just needed to make some money, so she could make a few concessions.

Walking back to Sam's office, she deposited her clothes with her bag and then walked to the front of the bar to see what she could do to help get the bar ready for dinner.

Sookie smiled at her. "Good, the uniform does fit."

Ailis nodded. "It would seem so."

"Well, dinner will be soon, so let's get you situated."

The rest of the evening was basically a blur for Ailis. She met Lafayette, the very gay, flamboyant cook for Merlotte's. She immediately liked him. He told things like it was and there was nothing pretentious or fake about him. She loved bringing her orders back to him, never knowing what new outrageous thing he would say next.

She was chuckling over something he had said while standing next to the kitchen folding some napkins for her tables when the noise in the bar went down. She looked up confused, and turned to Lafayette. "What the hell happened in there, Lafayette?"

"Oh hookah, we gots us a vampire in the bar tonight."

Ailis felt her blood run cold. She had been sure she would be safe here. She had picked Bon Temps because it was so small and there was next to no possibility that there would be any vampires here. She screamed inwardly, this could not be happening.

She cleared her voice and tried to sound normal. "A vampire? You have vamps in Bon Temps?"

He nodded, chopping up carrots. "Oh yes, we have our very own resident blood sucker. His name's Bill."

Ailis breathed a sigh of relief, having to catch herself from going to the floor as she felt her legs go out from under her. She leaned heavily against the counter and tried to calm her heart down. If Lafayette hadn't been there she probably would have laughed hysterically. Here she was, getting herself all worked up for nothing. Hadn't she told herself this town was too small for Eric, that this bar was too podunk got him?

"Bill huh? Interesting name for a vamp," she snickered lightly, folding more napkins.

"Yeah, he's Sookie's boyfriend."

She looked over at him surprised, and was about to respond when Sookie came around the corner.

"There you are, I was looking for you. I want you to come out and meet my boyfriend."

She put the napkin down her was folding and smoothed her apron down. "I would love to meet him, Sook. Though I have to say, I would never have thought you would be dating a vampire. You never mentioned it once today."

She contemplated what Ailis said. "Hmm, you're right. Well, we had so much to talk about today; I guess it slipped my mind. And believe me, no one was more surprised than me when I found out I was attracted to one. But I guess you can't help who you love." She shrugged, smiling happily, tugging on my hand. "Come on slow poke."

She laughed at Sookie's enthusiasm and let her lead her into the bar. Sookie lead her to a back table, where a very handsome vampire was sitting. She had a moment of panic, wondering if he would be one to recognize her as having been with Eric, but realized she had never seen him before. She relaxed just as they got to the table. She had a moment to study him. He was very dark, thick dark hair, brows and eyes. A very brooding type of man.

"Bill, this is Ailis McCullough, our new waitress, my new neighbor and my new friend. Ailis, this is Bill Compton, my boyfriend."

Bill inclined his head at her; she knew as a vamp he wouldn't shake her hand. "Miss Ailis, it's a pleasure to meet you," he murmured, his voice low and throaty, with an old southern accent.

She shivered at the sound of his voice, forgetting how much a vampire's voice could affect her senses. She smiled widely, trying to cover up her reaction. "Nice to meet you Bill."

She realized that Sookie and Bill might want a little time together and she didn't feel there was much for her and Bill to talk about at that moment, and she had tables to see to.

"Well, I will leave you too alone. It was nice to meet you Bill. I'm sure I will see more of you." She waved softly and Bill smiled, nodding his head in agreement to her words.

She went to the two tables that had come up in her section while she was talking and took their orders back to Lafayette. Pinning them to the spinner, she walked down the hall to the bathroom. Well, the first meeting with a vampire after six months went fairly well if I do say so, so thought to herself, checking her reflection in the mirror. Well, better get back out there.

Ailis walked out of the bathroom and was almost to the corner when she noticed that the bar was silent, again. She was confused. Surely there wasn't another vampire in the bar was there?

She looked at Lafayette and noticed that he had quite cutting his vegetables and was staring out at the bar, a look of concentrated alarm on his face.

"Lafayette," she hissed softly.

Lafayette turned towards her, blinking slowly, seeming confused to see her at first. He shook his head and took a deep breath, closing his eyes and shaking himself completely, before looking back at Ailis.

"What's going on out there?" Ailis whispered. She didn't know why she was whispering, but deep down she felt that was the right thing to do at the time.

"Oh hookah, some deep trouble just walked through that door and sat down in our bar. We gots the devil himself in the bar tonight."

Ailis looked at him confused. "What are you talking about? Is it another vampire?"

Lafayette nodded his head. "Yeah, we got another one, but he ain't no Bill baby girl, that's for sure. He's a lot more trouble than that one."

"Who is it?" Ailis asked, getting a little tired of all the dramatics. A feeling of dread was slowly creeping up her spine and unease was bubbling up in her stomach.

"Might as well know now, you'll probably be seeing more of him if you're gonna be working and living around here. Eric Northman just walked into our bar."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.
> 
> As I said, we got our first glimpse of Eric...
> 
> More to come soon!


	6. A Visit From The Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which questions are dodged, sparks slightly fly and the past and present are set to collide....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we get a little bit of Eric and a little bit more of Ailis' feelings on him.
> 
> I do not, as I have stated before and will again, own True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse Novels.
> 
> Read, enjoy...comment!!!

Ailis heard the words echoing in her mind, but she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Eric Northman was here, in Merlotte's? No, there had to be some kind of mistake, Eric couldn't be here.

The next thing Ailis knew, she was sitting on the floor. Lafayette was bending in front of her, getting ready to call her name. At the back of her mind she knew that she couldn't let him do that. She didn't know why, but it was imperative that her name not be uttered.

Leaning forward, Ailis plastered her hand across Lafayette's mouth. He looked at her confusedly, wrenching his head to the left. Shaking her head, Ailis put her own finger   
to her lips, effectively shushing Lafayette.

He looked at her quizzically, but nodded his head to show that he understood. Ailis breathed a sigh of relief and leaned her head back against the wall. Her mind was   
reeling and she couldn't concentrate on one complete thought.

Her first instinct was to run. To just get the hell out of Merlotte's while she had the chance.

But she knew she couldn't do that. She had started all this mess by running, and it was time that ended. If she ran now, she would never be able to stop. Plus, she owed it to Sam to stay around. He had been nice enough to give her a job, and she refused to let him down like she had so many in the past. No, she would be damned if she would allow Eric to ruin her life. Again.

So, running, not an option. The best thing she could do was lay low until Eric left and then go on about her business. That was the best option available to her. She was sure as hell not going to call attention to herself while he was here, that was for sure. The whole point of her starting a new life here in Bon Temps was to stay as far from Eric as she could. Going out into the bar now would totally defeat that purpose. The less he knew about where she was now the better.

Nodding her head at her decision, Ailis looked up at Lafayette. He was gazing down at her with a frown on his face, head cocked to the side.

"You gonna tell me what this is all about, hookah?" Lafayette whispered, concern etching a line between his eyes.

Ailis couldn't help but smile at the fact that he was still whispering, touched deeply at his concern for her well-being. It'd been a long time since anyone had actually cared for her.

She opened her mouth to answer just as Sookie came barreling around the corner, almost tripping over Ailis' legs.

She caught herself against the counter and looked down at Ailis bewildered. "Why are you on the floor A-", she started to question before Lafayette put his hand across her mouth.

"Don't say her name," he cautioned softly.

Sookie turned her body to look at Lafayette over her shoulder, her eyes clouded with confusion. Looking down at Ailis, her face pinched and worried. Shaking Lafayette's hand from her mouth she bent down in front of Ailis, taking hold of both of her hands.

"Are you ok? Why shouldn't I say your name?"

Ailis breathed deeply, exhaling tiredly. She extracted her hands softly from Sookie's to massage her temples. She could feel a migraine threatening to overtake her.  
She looked back at Sookie's concerned visage and contemplated her questions. Was she ok? Would she ever be ok? Groaning softly, she leaned her head back against the wall, hoping desperately to God she would be.

Keeping her eyes closed, she sighed heavily. "As to your first question, ask me again in a few days and maybe I will have a more definite answer for you. As for saying my name, let's just say that there is someone out there that I would rather they not know that I am here."

Sookie glanced up at Lafayette, her eyebrow raised in question.

"Eric," Lafayette mouthed.

Sookie turned back to Ailis, eyes wide open in shock. "Oh, honey. Why the hell are you involved with Eric?" Her voice held dismay, or as much as it could, considering she was still whispering.

Ailis snorted softly. "That's a long story Sook, one I would rather not get into right now. And just for the record, I'm not involved with Eric. I never was and nor do I ever plan on being. He is a monster, an egotistical, arrogant bastard. If I never had to see him again, it would be too soon!" She finished her tirade, breathing heavily, already feeling the familiar boiling anger that the mere thought of Eric always produced within her.

Sookie's face relaxed, her eyes full of relief at Ailis' words. Something seemed to occur to her, making her brow crinkle in confusion. "But you did say that there was a story. You have some sort of past with Eric, don't you?" She looked at Ailis, her last question more of a statement.

Ailis nodded her head softly, rubbing harder at her temples. "Yes, we have a past. Not what you think," she hastily added, seeing the disappointment flicker across Sookie's face. For reasons she couldn't fathom, she couldn't stand the thought of Sookie thinking badly about her. Sighing wearily she continued. "It's a long story, and like I said, I would rather not get into it right now." Seeing Sookie about to argue, she raised her hand, silencing her. "Look, I promise to tell you the story, both of you," she said, looking over Sookie's shoulder at Lafayette. "Just not right now. All I want to do is finish up my shift, go home and try and forget I ever saw Eric. OK?" She looked at both of them, her eyes pleading with them to understand.

Lafayette uncrossed his arms, looking down at her, eyes full of sympathy. Ailis shrank away from the sympathy; she hated people feeling sorry for her. He nodded his head, "Whatever you need to do baby girl. Just knows you gots friends here, hookah." He winked at her, smiling mischievously, sauntering back to the kitchen. Ailis couldn't help but smile, Lafayette seemed to know exactly what she needed to hear to feel better.

Ailis glanced back to Sookie, begging with her eyes for her to understand. Sookie seemed to want to say something, then seemed to think better of it. Pursing her lips she nodded her head curtly. "Whatever you need girl. But just know this isn't over." She pointed her finger at Ailis, her voice saying she would not brook any argument over her statement.

Ailis smiled in relief, nodding quickly at Sookie. She would agree to almost anything if she could just get this night over with and get home.

Sookie stood up slowly, stretching her back and then reached down to help Ailis off the floor. When Ailis was back on her feet, Sookie surprised her by pulling her into her arms for a quick hug, rubbing her back in quick circles. Ailis was never the touchy-feely type, so the hug was a bit awkward for her. She patted Sookie's back hesitantly, and then slowly detached herself, trying not to hurt Sookie's feelings. She smiled wanly at Sookie. "Don't let me keep you from your tables. I'm just gonna go tell Sam I'm taking my break. Lemme know when his royal highness finally leaves ok?" Ailis rolled her eyes when she spoke about Eric causing Sookie to crack up.

"Not a problem. You just go and get your head together. We got things handled in there for right now." She turned to walk back into the bar, and Ailis grabbed her hand. She turned, brow raised in confusion.

"When you talk to Bill, preferably after the ass leaves, can you ask him not to mention me to Eric? Tell him I will explain everything to him later."

Sookie nodded. "Not a problem. Neither one of us wants you to get into any trouble. Especially where Eric is concerned. Nothing should ever be made easy for him." She grinned maliciously, eyes sparkling with mischief as she turned back and went into the bar.

Ailis couldn't help chuckling to herself. For once she actually felt like she belonged and was among good company. Shaking her head, she headed down the hall to the office and knocked on the door. She heard Sam call from within and poked her head in. He looked up from papers strewn across his desk, and deep frown of impatience on his face until he saw her. His eyes cleared and a wide smile broke out across his face.

Damn he's cute, she couldn't help but think to herself. She loved the way his eyes lit up when he smiled, the way his whole face opened up. There was a simpleness to Sam, an honestness that she could get used to. There was no artifice where Sam was concerned.

Ailis allowed herself to appreciate the broadness of his shoulders and how we his checked shirt contoured to the shape of his chest.

Realizing that she is staring, Ailis cleared her throat abruptly and looked down at the floor. Looking up through her lashes, she noticed that Sam was grinning broadly. She knew without a doubt that he had seen her checking him out. She kicked herself silently, chastising herself; he was her boss for God's sake. Hadn't she already had this talk once today with herself ?

Realizing he was looking up at her curiously, eyes brimming with barely suppressed amusement, she cleared her throat again, fidgeting slightly. "Uh, I'm going to go ahead and take my break, Sam. That is if it's cool with you." Ailis hated that she was letting her hormones run away with her, so she made herself look up at Sam.

Sam nodded, smiling softly. "Sure, you've been working hard tonight. I wouldn't want to tire out a good worker after her first night."

Ailis blushed softly at his praise. What was with her? She was never girly like this; she never blushed over a guy!

Shaking her head softly, she nodded to Sam and ducked out of the office before he could say anything else. She felt it would be a good idea to avoid Sam, especially in close quarters until she could get a handle on her thoughts and emotions.

Walking to the employee exit, she stopped with her hand on the door. Paranoia took over, and she couldn't bring herself to open the door. Berating herself for her lack of strength she decided to compromise. Propping the door open, Ailis breathed in the sultry night air, trying to clear her mind. She refused to let herself contemplate Eric and what it meant for him to be here. That was a problem for another day.

She sat for a few minutes, breathing deeply of the calm, quiet air, letting her mind quiet. She hated herself for letting Eric get to her so much, but that seemed to be the story of her life. Eric made an appearance and her life was fucked. And no matter what she did, it seemed that this was just the way her life was going to be, and the sooner she accepted it, the better off she would be. It served to strengthen her resolve to stay the hell away from Eric, that is, if she wanted to keep her own peace of mind.

Contemplating her new resolve, Ailis heard soft footsteps behind her. Looking over her shoulder, Ailis watched Sookie come down the hallway towards her.

"He's gone," Sookie stated as she stopped next to Ailis shoulder.

She looked closely at Ailis' face, her own creasing in concern. Ailis had no desire to get into the conversation she was sure Sookie was waiting to unleash. Holding up her hand, she effectively silenced Sookie. "Later," is all she said as she let the exit door swing close behind her as she walked silently but determinedly back out to the bar. She would be damned if she would let Eric ruin the first good thing to happen to her since she left him.

As she walked back into the bar, she saw Bill out of the corner of her eye. He inclined his head slowly, letting her know that he wanted to speak with her. Warily she approached the table.

Bill looked her over thoroughly, staring intensely into her eyes. Ailis tried to meet his stare impassively. After a moment, Bill flicked his eyes to the table. "We will talk soon," he intoned quietly, his tone implying that he was not to be questioned. Nodding once, he stood and strode out of the bar, not looking back at Ailis once.

The rest of the evening passed without a hitch. Ailis settled back into the regular routine of working the floor, avoiding Sookie's eye and bantering wittily with Lafayette. He seemed to know that she needed a sense of normalcy that she would talk to him when she was ready. A few times she caught him looking at her with his brow furrowed, but he never mentioned his concerns to her, which she was more than grateful for. She couldn't take many more questions this evening.

As the night came to a close, Ailis realized that it probably was not the best idea for her to be going to her car on her own. Granted the night had been quiet and Eric never gave any indication that he was aware of her presence, but Ailis had been involved with the supernatural too long to take any unneeded chances.

Sookie and Arlene had left the bar by the time that Ailis finished tallying up her checks and tips for the evening. She stayed behind, helping Sam finish cleaning up behind the counter.

Walking back to the office, Ailis grabbed her purse and clothes, turning as Sam came in behind her. Smiling jovially, she bit her lip quickly, hating to have to ask Sam for a favor. "Uh, Sam," she started looking down at the floor.

"Hmm," he murmured, shuffling some files around on his desk.

She kicked at the floor softly, "Would you mind terribly walking me out to me car?" Looking up at him, she noticed him having a hard time containing the urge to puff his chest out; the protective male feeling like he was needed. Rolling her eyes she continued, "I hate sounding like the typical brain dead female. It's not that I can't protect myself, it's just I'm new to town and I would feel better if you did, until I can feel comfortable being alone, at night, in the dark," she finished lamely, looking down at her hands. She hated having to ask for help, but after seeing Eric tonight, she sure as hell wasn't taking any unneeded chances.

Hearing a faint rumbling, Ailis looked up quickly, seeing Sam having a hard time containing his mirth. She narrowed her eyes angrily; if there was one thing she hated, it was being laughed at. She felt her back bristle as she placed her hands on her hips with a huff. "If all you're gonna do it laugh at me Sam Merlotte, then forget it," she hissed angrily.

Sam immediately sobered, coming around his desk quickly. He grabbed ahold of Ailis' hand to keep her from leaving, and she could not help the warm spark that shot from his hand through her body. It seemed to be connected to every nerve ending within her. It had been so long since a man had touched her, especially in concern. She let herself revel in the feeling for a moment, then mentally rebuked herself. He was her boss, dammit! How many times did she have to have this conversation with herself tonight?!? Shaking herself, she made herself focus on what he was saying.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Ailis. That's the last thing I would ever do. I would be more than happy to see you to your car. Like you said, it's dark and you're new in town. I feel honored that you would trust me enough to take care of you." He beamed down at her, and she couldn't help but smile back at him. Damn and she wanted to be mad too!

" Well, since you put it that way," she murmured trying to sound surly, knowing full well she gave it all away by the twinkling of amusement in her eyes. She turned walked out of the office towards the employee exit.

Stepping out, she felt the humidity envelope her body and she stopped, spinning slowly, reveling in the heat. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply of the jasmine and honeysuckle. Opening her eyes, she froze, seeing Sam leaning against the door, smiling serenely at her.

Smiling sheepishly, she cleared her throat. "I can't help it," she murmured in reference to her behavior, "It's great to be home."

Sam nodded knowingly, wisely asking no questions and making no comments. "Which car is yours, darlin'?"

Ailis stiffened at the term of endearment, but looking at Sam, it seemed he didn't realize what he'd said. Shrugging, she pointed to the Maybach at the end of the parking lot.

Sam whistled appreciatively, and she couldn't help but smile proudly. After all, her car was the only valuable thing she had left.

Ailis and Sam walked in companionable silence to the car, and she finally felt her shoulders begin to relax. Eric was finally filtering out of her mind, and Sam was putting no pressure on her. It was turning out to be a great end to what could have been a very shitty evening.

That is, until she saw the raven feather threaded through her windshield wiper; the sight of the object feeling her with dread.

She quickly scanned the parking lot, knowing full well he wasn't still there. Even if he was, he would make sure that she couldn't detect him. No, he wasn't here. He left the feather as a warning.

Swallowing thickly, she closed her eyes, willing herself to breathe. She felt Sam stop beside her, and when she opened her eyes, she saw him looking at her with concern, his hand out, ready to catch her if she fell.

Forcing herself to smile, she unlocked the door. "I'm fine," she said, answering Sam's unanswered question. Seeing the skepticism in his face, she waved her hand flippantly, "Seriously, I'm cool. Guess I was just more tired than I realized. Thanks so much for seeing me to my car, Sam. I'll see you Tuesday, k?"

Smiling widely, she closed the door before Sam had a chance to answer and started the car up quickly. Waving silently to Sam, she peeled out of the parking lot, wishing desperately to be home where it was safe.

Smacking the steering wheel angrily, she cursed loudly, yelling at herself for being so stupid. She should have known that she couldn't hide from Eric. She just needed to get home, and once she was there, with the door locked, then she would be safe. At least for now.

Pulling up in her driveway, she focused in on her doorway, seeing it as her only safe haven. Just a few more feet and she was literally home free.  
Stepping from her car, she slammed the door, hitting the lock button as she ran for the door, not caring if anyone saw her. Panic set in, making her hands shake violently as she tried to locate the right key. Cursing silently, she forced herself to calm down. She wouldn't do herself any good being this uptight!

Finally selecting the right key, she gave a momentous sigh of relief as she felt it slide into the lock and heard the click. With her hand upon the doorknob, she hitched a breath in as she heard a creak behind her.

Before she could turn around, she heard the voice that had sounded for months within her nightmares; a voice that caused her blood to turn to ice.  
"I had forgotten just how resourceful you could be, my pet. Needless to say, resourceful or not, you have been a very, very bad girl.

Then and there, Ailis knew that the devil had found her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well now we get to it, the anticipated first meeting!!
> 
> More chapters to soon follow.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!!


	7. Death Pays A Social Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally the confrontation...ahem meeting....no let's be real, confrontation we have all been waiting for.
> 
> Words are exchanged, threats are made and slightly revealing phone calls bring some of the past to light. But really, the call only creates more questions.
> 
> In which we get a little more of Eric, Ailis is so over his shit and he is demanding as ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once more, I do not own True Blood, nor the Sookie Stackhouse Novels.
> 
> Thank you so much for your continued interest in this story. It is much appreciated.
> 
> More chapters are still in store and this story is now getting ready to really ramp up.
> 
> Read, enjoy, comment!!

Ailis felt her shoulders slump in defeat. Leaning heavily against the door, she closed her eyes, trying earnestly to get her breathing under control. It would do her no good to hyperventilate here on the porch, especially not with a very angry, very old vampire standing not ten feet away.

Damn it! She was not going to let him control this situation! He might have found her, but she was sure as hell going to put up of fight. She wasn't going to make this easy for him. The fucker didn't deserve any favors.

Squaring her shoulders, Ailis slowly turned, resting her back against the door. Keeping her hand on the knob, she turned it surreptitiously, trying to force her hand to keep from shaking. No need for him to guess her plan, at least not until it was too late.

Breathing deeply once more to strengthen her resolve, she slowly opened her eyes. She trained her gaze on the floor of her porch, taking note that he was a few feet away from her, leaning against one of the posts. Taking in his relaxed, lazy stance, Ailis couldn't repress the spark of anger that flared within her stomach. The bastard could at least act like he was in some way affected by seeing her again!

She slowly lifted her eyes, taking him in from bottom to top. She cursed silently. Why did he have to look so good? For once, couldn't he look like shit? She then mentally kicked herself for finding him attractive. But as hard as it was to admit, he did look amazing, no matter how much she may loathe him. It was just a fact, like knowing the sky is blue.

He was dressed, as always, in the proverbial black. She didn't think he even owned anything in another color. She would probably pass out from shock if he was ever in anything else. Generic black shoes, nothing too special gave way to his tight black jeans. They contoured perfectly to his strong thighs, hinting at the raw strength he possessed.

Raking her eyes up further brought her in direct contact with another strong, very large asset. The tightness of his jeans made it hard for her eyes to go anywhere else. She felt herself swallow involuntarily, and had to restrain herself from licking her lips. As much as she hated this…this _thing_ , she couldn't deny that he was striking. She was human, so sue her!

Ailis heard a deep rumble erupt from his chest, and knew he was laughing at her. Gritting her teeth, she flipped him off, refusing to look up at him until she had taken him in completely.

Eric laughed louder at her gesture and shifted subtly against the post, angling his hips closer to her. "Name the time and place, sweetheart. I believe I have been trying to do so since we first met."

Ailis refused to be goaded into answering him. No need to encourage the bastard. Continuing her perusal, she brought her eyes up to his chest and gave an involuntary gasp. God, he just wasn't playing fair! He was wearing a black button up shirt, completely unbuttoned and untucked. His magnificent chest was on full display, pale perfection with a soft dusting of hair on the rock hard stomach.

"Like something you see, love?" he whispered huskily.

Clenching her hands into fists, she bit her tongue to keep back her retort. The sooner she could get this encounter over with the better. Lifting her eyes, she finally encountered his face. He was smirking smugly at her, head softly cocked to the side.

She took a moment to take him in. It had been months since she had last laid eyes on him. He was still mind-numbingly perfect. The consummate ideal of masculinity. In a word, pure evil. To fall into that beauty was to meet ultimate, exquisite pain, normally followed by an equally excruciating death. Those glacial eyes, as cold and calculating as the mind behind them. Gasping quickly, her eyes widened in disbelief.

"You cut your hair," she whispered softly in shock.

Eric cocked his head further, brow furrowing. "Hmph, I never would have taken you for a sentimentalist, little one."

"Not sentimental, Eric. Just surprised is all. I know how much of a narcissist you are. I never would have thought you would part with your lustrous, golden locks," she spat out sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Ailis shook her head softly, trying to clear her thoughts. This was not exactly the way she felt their first meeting would go. Eric wasn't threatening her, wasn't trying to force her into anything. What the hell was going on? He was never one to shoot the breeze.

Looking back up at him, she saw him cross his arms across his chest, and she was momentarily distracted by the play of the muscles under the skin. Blinking, she mentally scolded herself. It was a very bad idea to get preoccupied when around Eric. She needed to be on top of her game.

"Well," she began, clapping her hands together, "as scintillating as this little chat has been, I'm going to turn in for the night. It's been great seeing ya, but I think you know the way out. Let's do this again in about, oh, never." She kept her eyes on his face as she slowly turned the knob that was still clasped in her slightly damp palm, feeling it click. She breathed out in silent relief. Pushing softly, she felt the door open a sliver, but not enough to draw his attention.

Eric's eyes flashed in warning, his face taking on the doll-like impassivity that the old ones were so well known for. It was this look that always scared the hell out of Ailis. She never knew what he was thinking or what he was going to do next.

Tensing slightly she pushed back against the door, ready to fall in when the time came.

"Don't be cute, little one. Now is not the time," he warned, voice dangerously soft.

Eric pushed off the post, raising himself to his full height. Ailis had to restrain herself from recoiling from him. She had forgotten how imposing he could be, his 6'4" frame dwarfing her own 5'1". She would be damned though if she would let him intimidate her.

Squaring her chin, she looked up at him defiantly. "Sorry, _love_ ," she sneered, "I don't know how else to be."

"I've already given you enough leeway, little one. Do not push my patience with that rebellious tongue of yours."

Ailis snorted derisively, sighing heavily in exasperation. "I owe you nothing, Eric. I've had a very long night and I'm tired. Now, if you would kindly get off my porch and stop pestering me, I can go to bed and try to put this ugliness behind me."

She turned to open the door, suddenly feeling his hand clamp down over her wrist. White hot electricity surged up her arm at the feel of his touch. She had to bite down hard on her lip to keep from moaning aloud. God damn him for still being able to make her feel this way, especially after everything he had done to her!

"Let go of me you filthy leech," she spat angrily, trying to wrench her arm free of his grasp.

His eyes narrowed slowly into slits, nostrils flaring. Gripping harder, he slowly drew her towards him. "Now, now, little one. I've given you more than enough time to have your little…snit. I have been more than patient, which as you know, goes against my better nature. There is no need to be _rude_ ," he breathed angrily, twisting her arm back behind her, causing her chest to brush against his own.

She had to physically restrain herself from reveling in the closeness. This was _so not_ the time. Bending her back, she tried to put as much distance between them as possible. "You're hurting me," she seethed, looking into his face with as much distaste and revulsion she could muster.

"Oh sweetheart, you're lucky I'm not doing more than this after the stunt you pulled. Now, admit you were wrong, like a good little girl and maybe I will go easy on you. You know you want to kiss and make up."

Ailis felt rage, white hot and bubbling erupt within her, causing her to momentarily see red. Finding her reserve strength, she shoved roughly on his chest, propelling herself backwards. She felt the door give way behind her, making her hit the wooden floor inside with a loud oomph. Looking up from the floor, she caught the look on Eric's face. The expression of pure shock and confusion would have caused Ailis to erupt into a deep fit of laughter if she wasn't so pissed off.

"Don't ever, _ever_ touch me again you soulless monster," she spat angrily, shifting around to get up on her knees. As she went to stand up, she felt a sharp twinge in her lower side. Pressing into it with her hand, she was finally able to right herself. She glared at Eric, as she shuffled forward to close the door. "I never want to see you again. Try and get that through your thick, stubborn Viking head."

She leaned heavily against the door jamb, suddenly immensely tired. Looking back up at Eric, she sighed deeply. "Please, just leave me alone," she whispered woodenly, face devoid of all emotion.

Eric tsked at her, his face taking on a look of someone scolding an errant child. "Come now, little one. Don't say things you don't mean. Never is such a very long time, and we both know that you are only saying these awful things because you're angry." He held his hand up, silencing her next words as she opened her mouth to retort. "We're both tired, little one. I've allowed this little tantrum of yours to go on long enough. Now that it's over, you can let me in and we can go from there. Doesn't that sound a lot better than you screeching at me like a banshee?" He took a step forward, looking at her expectantly.

She was so angry that she would have stamped her foot in fury except for the fact that she didn't want to give him the satisfaction. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to try and calm herself down. When she felt more composed, she opened her eyes, glaring malevolently up at Eric's smug face.

"I am not throwing a tantrum, nor am I having a _snit_. I am completely justified in my anger towards you. God, it's just like you Eric to totally discount other people's feelings and comments, wanting to only focus solely on yourself." She held up her hand when Eric opened his mouth to comment, interrupting him as he had her only moments before.

"I don't want to hear it or anything else. I could care less what meaningless bullshit you might want to spew at me. I'm done, Eric. Just done. With you, your world and your shit." She watched Eric's eyes widen in surprise at her words, his face for o,nce completely open to scrutiny. Seeing that she meant every word that she said, his face slowly hardened into a mask of stern fury.

"You should choose your next words carefully, pet," he cautioned in a deceptively calm whisper.

She screamed wordlessly in utter frustration. "You don't get it, do you? Let me spell it out for you so there can be no cause for confusion or misinterpretation. This is not a situation you can manipulate and have it play out in the way you see fit. This is a fight you cannot and will not win. I am not your pet, nor have I ever been, and I sure as hell never will be! I NEVER want to see you again, ok? You no longer have a place in my life. You will never have access to my home, to my mind, to my blood or my body. Basically, you can go fuck yourself for all I care, Eric." She spoke calmly and slowly, enunciating every word, keeping eye contact the entire time. She wanted to make sure that her point finally hit home.

Eric stood mutely in the doorway, his face devoid of emotion. He made no move to speak. Sighing heavily, shoulders slumping, Ailis grabbed ahold of the door knob.

Hearing a cracking noise, she looked up. Eric still hadn't moved, but there was a large split in the wood of her door frame.

"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't break my house. If you wanna stand there pouting for the rest of the night, be my guest. I could give a shit. Just try to leavebefore sunrise. I'd hate to have to clean up the mess; I do have to be at work in the morning." Smiling acidly, she swung the door, effectively shutting it in his face.

Leaning heavily against the door, Ailis felt like she had just finished the biggest battle in her life. Pushing away, she started to walk down the hallway to her bedroom.

A deep, feral growl erupted through the house, sending a chill up her spine. Turning around slowly, she faced the door. Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eric standing by the front window. His crystalline gaze pierced her straight to her heart. She knew that he couldn't reach her, but she could not stop the clawing fear deep within her belly. Looking at Eric, she knew that she was looking into the face of death.

"This isn't over, pet, not by a long shot," Eric whispered menacingly. Ailis knew it wasn't a threat, but a promise.

She mentally shook herself, rebuking herself for weakness. She was not going to let him get to her. She was in the right and she had to stick by her decision. If she crumbled now, he would win. She'd rather die than let that happen. Stepping close to the window, she looked up into Eric's eyes. Smiling sweetly, she slowly lifted her hand and flipped him off.

Eric's whole body began to shake with rage. She heard the distinct click of his fangs through the glass. Keeping her resolve and fighting to keep any fear from showing on her face, she smiled widely and waved before pulling the curtains across the window.

Turning around, she walked down the hall to the bedroom. Turning on the light, she walked over to the window and shut the curtains. No need to give him any more attention. Getting clothes from the suitcase by the bed, she slowly got dressed for bed.

Sinking beneath the covers, she sighed loudly, trying to release all of the tension from her body. This had definitely been a rough, tumultuous evening. Closing her eyes, she tried to regulate her breathing.

She could hear a creaking coming from the front of the house. Focusing on the sound, she noticed that it was rhythmic and paced. Apparently Eric still hadn't left. He was pacing the porch outside her door.

Shaking her head, she tried to focus again on her breathing, trying not to think about the angry vampire on her porch. He'd intruded enough upon her life over the last year, she'd be damned is she would allow him to keep her from getting to sleep tonight.

As she felt herself slowly slip towards the edge of unconsciousness, she felt her phone vibrate. Groaning loudly, she contemplated just letting it ring. As it continued to buzz, Ailis slammed her hand into the bed post. Would she ever get any peace?

Jerking the covers back, she sat up on the edge of the bed and grabbed her phone. Hitting the send button, she held it to her ear. "This had better be damned important," she growled angrily into the receiver.

"Now is that anyway to greet your friend? Especially a friend you didn't even bother letting know that you were back in town?" a softly accented female voice asked amusedly from the other end.

Huffing loudly, Ailis flopped back down into the bed. "Hello, Pam," she sighed. "To what do I owe the honor of receiving a phone call from you this evening?" she asked sarcastically.

"My my. Aren't we in a grumpy mood this evening," Pam teased lightly. "It wouldn't have anything to do with a certain Viking we both know and love would it?"

"Don't even bring him up to me," Ailis growled warningly. "I am so not in the mood."

"Tell me, sugar, what did he do this time?"

"It's not a matter of what he did this time Pam. Sorry if I'm childish and too pathetically human, but I just can't get past the fact that he killed my best friend," Ailis snarled sarcastically, reaching up to wipe away tears of rage spilling down her cheeks. "I guess I'm just petty that way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, snap. How could Eric do such a thing?!? Well...cause he's Eric and all....but we still love him.
> 
> More Eric to come in the future and we will soon find out exactly what happened between Eric and Ailis.
> 
> Stay tuned for more to come soon.
> 
> Thank you, as always, for reading.


	8. Pain and Misunderstandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ailis and Pam reconnect, Ailis is clumsy and Sam jumps to conclusions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, do not own True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse Novels.
> 
> I appreciate everyone that is sticking with this story. It always makes me smile when I see the numbers go up when I check in.
> 
> Read, enjoy, comment.
> 
> Eric is not in this chapter, but he will show up again soon. More background and filler. Gotta establish characters, background and character development.

It'd been so long since she'd talked about Regina that the mere mention of that night was like a knife wrenching cruelly into her heart. She took a sharp, deep breath, trying desperately not to be sucked down into the painful depression that had darkened much of her life just nine months before.

She swiped the tears from under her eyes that were threatening to roll down her che3k, a dull pit of rage welling up in her belly. She hadn't cried in months, hadn't allowed herself to be dragged back into the past. Now thanks to the _Great Eric Northman_ she was close to drowning in grief and depression once again.

"Little one? You still with me?" Pam queried softly from the phone Ailis held within a death grip, knuckles frighteningly white.

"Don't…ever…call me that again," Ailis hissed sharply into the receiver.

She heard rather than saw Pam subtly nod her head. Pam made no more mention of Eric or Ailis' long absence. She also subtly avoided Ailis' short bitch fit earlier in the conversation.

The longer they were on the phone, the more tired Ailis became. She found herself nodding incoherently to whatever Pam was rattling away about. She realized that she had contributed about 10 words to the conversation in the past half our. As much as she liked Pam, she just wasn't in the mood to pander to her every whim and thought.

Yawning loudly, Ailis cut into Pam's ramble about the latest pink ensemble she had bought in the newest high end boutique to come into existence in Shreveport. "As titillating as this conversation is, Pam darling," Ailis drawled sarcastically, "I have had a rather trying and eventful evening. Not that I haven't missed you or our talks, but I don't think I will be cognizant much longer."

Pam snorted derisively. "Don't mince words, Ali. It doesn't fit you. Just tell me to leave you alone."

Ailis laughed in spite of herself. "Fine, bitch. Get the hell off my phone and let me go to bed."

Pam let loose a rare, full-throated laugh. "You're lucky that I actually like you so much," Pam deadpanned. "Not many vamps would dare speak to me that way, much less a blood bag; they'd just be dead." Ailis could hear the barely contained amusement within Pam's voice. She took no offense to Pam's nickname for humans.

"Meh, that's why ya like me so much, Pam. I'm a ballsy bitch. I could give two shits about reputation."

Pam let out a small snort. "Yeah, I do like you, in spite of myself, Allie. Whatever possessed me to give a breather the time of day I will never know. Must be getting a bit batty in my old age."

Ailis smiled wryly. Leave it to Pam to be able to pull her out of her funk. Pam may not be the most understanding or loveable person. In fact Eric's progeny was typically an uppity, uncompromising bitch. Be that as it may, for some reason she and Pam had formed a strange sort of bond in the time she was forced to deal with Eric. It wasn't so much a friendship, but a weird amalgamation of grudging respect and tolerance.

"Well I shall allow you to get your beauty rest. If you're anything like I remember, you're gonna need it," Pam joked snidely.

"Ah, Pam. I have truly missed just how sweet you can be. But please, too much could turn a girl's head," Ailis responded drily.

As Ailis went to hang up the phone she heard Pam whisper softly, "Hang in there kid," and then the line went dead.

Laying the phone down on the table, Ailis leaned heavily back on the pillows. Her mind was a bit calmer, thanks to her phone call with Pam. She had needed something to distract her, and Pam was good at being diverting. She chuckled lowly to herself. Pam would never accept a thank you from Ailis, feeling herself above all that. She'd never admit that she cared for Ailis or wanted to help her; that would just go against her nature. But Ailis appreciated it nonetheless, though she would never give any inclination of that to Pam.

Sighing heavily, Ailis rolled softly onto her right side, fluffing her pillow twice. She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, making sure to completely clear her mind. It was easier said than done, but she needed to get to sleep. She had to work in the morning and she would be damned if she allowed this situation to fuck up her life more than it already had.

As her mind slowly approached the threshold of sleep, she noticed how quiet her house had become. There were no creaks, no soft whispers of fabric, no soft thuds of footsteps. Smiling acidly to herself, she snuggled deeper into the covers. At least it seemed the asshole finally took the hint. Ailis finally fell asleep with a content smirk upon her face.

A faint buzzing rattled Ailis out of a deep sleep. Waving her hand around her head, she tried to make the nuisance go away. After a few minutes, the buzzing continued incessantly. Growling loudly, Ailis rolled over, opening one eye to survey the room. Squinting into the light spilling in around the curtains, Ailis tried to locate the sound, shaking her head to clear away the last vestiges of sleep.

Her eyes slowly made the circuit of the room, coming to rest on the table at her bedside. She watched as her cell phone juked and jived along the surface of the table, coming dangerously close to the edge. That explained the unwanted intrusion upon her slumber.

Rocking up on her side she snatched the pesky object quickly and flopped back down onto her pillows. Trying to make her eyes focus, she regarded the screen of the phone half-heartedly. She soon deciphered that the jumbled numbers and symbols were in fact telling her that she was looking at an alarm.

Screeching loudly she almost fell off the side of her bed in panic. The annoying buzzing had in fact been her alarm.She was going to be late! It was only her second day to work and already she was showing Sam just how much a fuck up she really was.

Flipping her covers back harshly she jumped out of the bed, snagging her foot in the sheet as she tried, ineffectively to rush across the room. She flapped her arms in a half-hearted effort to keep herself from falling face first onto her floor, but with how much momentum she had behind her mad dash, there was no hope for that.

Closing her eyes, she threw out a hand to try and keep the fall from hurting her too much. Unfortunately, she had not been paying attention to her position in the room, thus she had no way of knowing that she was essentially going to fall right into the edge of the nightstand.

The side of her temple bashed into the table with a deep thunk, making the piece of furniture move a few inches closer to the bed. Immediately after impact, Ailis crumpled to the floor.

For a few moments she couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, much less think. Then as soon as all feeling had left, it felt as if a tidal wave of pain and agony had crashed over her body, aimed straight for her head. She writhed back on forth on the floorboards, clutching her hands to her temple, praying silently to God to kill her now.

She could feel involuntary tears making tracks down her cheeks unchecked. There was not much more she could focus on but the pain radiating through her body. Slowly the excruciating agony in her brain slowed to a throbbing ache that she knew was going to settle into one bitch of a headache.

Opening one eye slowly, Ailis groaned subtly as the light sent a sharp stab of pain through her head. Well, sitting on the ground wallowing in her misery was not going to help; it would just be effective in making her even later to work.

Sighing loudly, she rolled slowly to her side and placed a hand on the floor giving herself an anchor so she could push herself up into a sitting position. As she reached an upright position, Ailis had to close her eyes as a dizziness washed over her body. Taking a few deep breaths in and out to calm down, she opened her eyes again and grabbed the edge of the table behind her. Placing all her weight against the nightstand, she hefted herself up onto her feet, giving herself a moment to make sure she was not going to pass out or fall down.

When she felt confident that she was going to be fine, Ailis walked quickly across the room to her suitcase and flipped the top open. Rifling through it briskly, she extracted the first pair of underwear and bra she came to.

Grabbing her Merlotte's shirt off the top of the pile, she grunted in frustration when she couldn't find her shorts. Where the hell could they be?

Turning around, Ailis quickly scanned the room and gave a sigh of relief when she saw them peeking out from underneath her bed. She totally did not have time to play search and find this morning! Blowing her bangs out of her face with a disgusted huff, she grabbed the shorts and all but ran to her bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

In record time she peeled her clothes off, got into the shower and got out. She wouldn't have been surprised if she completed the process in less than five minutes.

Grabbing her clothes off the commode top, she threw her uniform on and then turned to appraise herself in the mirror.

She grimaced in horror as she took in the status of her head. There was a deep gash starting at the edge of her hairline on the right side of her forehead, which was still thinly trickling blood. Ailis could also see that there would be one hell of a bruise that would form if the greenish edges of the laceration were any indication.

There was nothing she could do about it now, not if she had any hope of getting to work in the next millennium. Ripping open the mirror in front of her, she scanned the medicine cabinet for antibacterial ointment and a band aid. Finding what she was searching for she snatched them and quickly bandaged her head up.

Closing the mirror, she quickly grabbed a comb and tried to tame her unruly tresses. Knowing she had a time limit, she quickly twisted it up into a messy bun and then went to work on her makeup. Slapping on some eyeliner and mascara, she figured that was all she could do with the time she had. Sticking a tongue out at her reflection, she whipped around and charged out of the bathroom.

Stopping in her room, she slammed her feet into her shoes and grabbed her phone off the table and then bolted for her front door. She snatched her keys off the hook by the door as she wrenched the door open. Skipping across her porch, she jumped quickly, sailing over the stairs, making a shaky landing onto the lawn below. Smiling slightly, happy she hadn't fallen again, Ailis jogged over to her car.

As she approached the driver side, her heart plummeted into her stomach and a chill ran down her spine despite the humidity that was bathing her skin in a thin sheen of moisture. Sitting upon her hood were two small stone tiles. Without getting closer, she knew exactly what they were, they were runes. Just another one of Eric's calling cards.

Swallowing subtly, Ailis quickly felt her fear turn to anger, and not just at Eric. Why the hell was she letting the bastard get to her? That's just what he wanted, and she was playing right into his hands. He was nothing, he did not matter one iota and the sooner she remembered that, the better off she would be!

Looking at her watch, she cursed loudly. Thanks to this little distraction she was now even later. Sam was going to fire her, she just knew it!

Snatching the tiles, she shoved them into her pocket not even bothering to look at them. Why she didn't chuck them, she had no idea and she definitely did not have the time to sit and speculate. Shoving all thoughts other than getting to the bar to the back of her mind, Ailis slid into the car and turned the engine over, listening to it rev.

This was one of those many, many times she was so glad she had splurged and bought a sports car. She knew she would be able to make it to Merlotte's in record time with her baby. Throwing her car into reverse, she peeled out of her driveway, sending up a quick prayer that no one was coming and that no cops would be between her and work.

A record ten minutes later, Ailis pulled into the parking lot. Jumping out, she clicked the button on her fob as she jogged towards the front door. Taking a deep breath, she took hold of the handle and walked into the bar. Standing at the door, she allowed her eyes to adjust to the dimness of the main room, and then hustled across the floor to the back hall.

She saw Arlene as she made her way through the dining room and gave a small wave. "So sorry to have left ya in a bind, 'Lene. I kinda slept through my alarm." She grinned at the redhead ruefully, as she stepped into the back.

"Not a problem, sugar. I had it all under control," she heard Arlene call out to her.

Hurrying, she pushed Sam's door open and poked her head in. Her eyes immediately went to his desk, but she saw that the chair was unoccupied. The room was completely empty.

Cocking her head quizzically, she went and put her things in her cubby. She wondered where he could be? She hadn't seen him in the bar area when she came through.

Turning back to the door, she was about to open it, but it swung back just as her hand touched the knob to reveal Sam and Lafayette.

Sam had been chuckling at something that Lafayette had said, and his smile broadened when he saw Ailis. As soon as the smile had come it faded and a frown replaced it.

Ailis' stomach flipped, knowing that he had to be disappointed that she was late, especially since he had taken a chance on hiring her. He didn't know her from Adam's housecat and she had already proved to him that he might not be able to trust her.

"Sam I am so, so, so sorry. I know that I am late, and I know that it's just my second day, and I know that I have your good graces to thank for getting this job. I know it's no excuse, but I slept through my alarm. It's completely my fault, and I promise you that if you give me the chance it will never happen again. I really didn't want to disappoint you, Sam. Please, just don't fire me," she rattled out breathlessly, pausing a moment to catch her breath.

Noticing that neither Sam nor Lafayette were saying anything, she looked up at them, having been focusing on her fingers so she didn't have to watch the disapproval play out on Sam's face. Sam was still frowning at her and she noticed that Lafayette was looking at her with a gleam of concern in his eye. It took her a moment to realize neither of them was looking at her but at the top of her head. It confused her a moment, until her temple took that opportunity to throb to the beat of her heart.

As she opened her mouth to explain what happened, Lafayette stepped forward and laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Baby girl, what the hell happened?" he murmured softly, his eyebrows knit into a look of uncertainty. A look of dread filled his eyes as he grasped her arms tightly in his hands and drew her to where she was right in front of him, effectively caging her in. "Did Eric do this to you?" he intoned in a dark voice, his fingers digging into her shoulders in anger.

Before Ailis could respond, Sam had stepped back into her field of vision, his face contorted into a mask of fury and disgust. "Eric? What the hell does that monster have to do with anything?"

When Ailis did not respond at first, Sam grabbed her arm and twisted her out Lafayette's grip, swinging her around to face him. "Tell me what the hell is going on, Ailis," he hissed menacingly at her, giving her body a swift shake. "Please tell me that you aren't a damn fanger. Tell me that you aren't that fucking stupid. If you are then you can just get the hell out of my bar."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed and a new chapter is coming very soon.


	9. A Rude Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we see a bit of what Ailis is capable of....Sam gets a bit of a beat down...and the past is about to be somewhat explained...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with this story as it comes along. I have a lot of ideas for where I want this to go...it is just taking some time. 
> 
> I do not own anything recognizable in this story, except for Ailis. All other characters belong to Charlene Harris and Alan Ball and their wonderful sandbox.

Ailis stood before Sam, momentarily stunned into silence. Her mind seemed to be completely disconnected from the actions going on around her. For one second she almost convinced herself that everything that was happening was just a figment of her imagination; a hallucination brought on by her fall earlier that morning.

It was only when she looked down at her arm and saw Sam's death grip leaving mottled bruises on her lily-white skin that reality hit her like a ton of bricks.

She was standing in Merlotte's, in Sam's office, being accosted by the one person in this town she thought she would always be able to depend on.

Slowly shaking her head, she tried to make sense out of the situation. Her thoughts jumbled around haphazardly, but the only thing that she could focus on was the fact that Sam Merlotte had just accused her of being a fang-banger.

He had just accused her of being Eric-fucking-Northman's whore.

For a moment Ailis' field of vision was marred by a sheer film of blood-red. When she came back to herself, she noticed that she was breathing heavily and Sam was on one knee before her, his head hanging down.

Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, Ailis whipped around, hand curling into a fist at her side.

Lafayette had been about to put his hand on her shoulder, but at the animalistic snarl on her face, he quickly stepped back, putting his hands up in a non-threatening manner.

"Shh, baby girl, it's only me," he intoned soothingly, keeping a wary eye on her hands. "It's ok. Nobody is going to hurt you. You're safe."

As he continued to whisper softly to her, Lafayette inched closer to her until he was able to put his hands on hers. Closing his palms around her small fists, he brought her arms up to where they were trapped between his body and her own.

Looking deeply into her eyes, he took a deep breath and motioned for her to follow his example.

"Sugar, you justs gots to breathe. You is gonna pass out on me otherwise, and I sure as hell ain't carrying your cracker ass out of here."

Ailis let out a whooshing gasp of breath she hadn't known she had been holding. It took a moment for Lafayette's words to make sense to her. As soon as she realized what he had said, she smacked him hard against his shoulder, trying hard to keep the hysterical giggles from erupting from inside her.

He looked down at her, his eyes shining brightly with an amused gleam in the office halogens.

"You're just awful," she murmured to him in a faux indignation, trying desperately to contain the smile that was threatening to split her face.

"No, darling, what's awful is what you did to poor Sam's face over there."

Lafayette lifted his chin in the direction of Sam's desk. Ailis cocked her head in confusion as she followed the movement, seeing that Sam had moved from the floor and was sitting in his chair, elbows propped against the surface of the desk, shoulders hunched. He looked as if he were protecting himself, as if he were afraid he was going to be attacked.

Turning back to Lafayette, Ailis cocked a brow in question. "What do you mean, "what you did to Sam"?" she queried. "I didn't do shit to Sam. He was the one who came in here, raving like a mad man, assaulting me. If anything you should be yelling at him. I mean look at my arm," she protested, placing the appendage in front of Lafayette's nose, pointing to the angry red bruises left by Sam's death grip.

Placing his hand gently on her arm, Lafayette lowered it to her side and then gripped her by the shoulders, making her look him fully in the face. "No one is excusing Sam for his behavior towards you baby girl, but sugar, you did a real number on him yourself."

"Lafayette…I have no idea what the he-"Ailis began to say, but Lafayette placed his hand across her mouth.

"Why don't you go take a look, sweetness. Maybe then you will believe me."

Ailis shot him a skeptical glare, but huffed loudly as she moved unwillingly across the room toward Sam. "If you say so," she murmured, completely unconvinced.

As she neared Sam, she noticed him shift subtly in his seat, as if he was trying to distance himself from her, but was trying to not make it obvious. Ailis wanted nothing more than to walk out of the office and leave Sam Merlotte to rot in hell for all she cared. She couldn't forgive him for the odious things he had just said to her. As much as she wanted to do so, she had a feeling that Lafayette wouldn't let her out of the room. And, if truth be told, she was kinda curious to find out what the hell Lafayette was talking about. If she was going to be accused of something, she should at least get all of the facts together.

Leaning against the side of the desk, she reached her hand out to push Sam backward in his chair so she could get a look at his face. It seemed that Sam sensed the movement, because the moment her hand was a few inches from his shoulder, he flinched away.

"Oh for heaven's sake, Merlotte. I'm not going to hurt you. Quit being such a baby," she intoned harshly.

At her words, Sam snorted derisively. "I think it's a little late to making empty promises, Ali," Sam mumbled through his hands, settling further away from her.

"Ok. Either you sit up on your own and show me your face, or I'm going to tip this chair over and put you flat on your ass, Merlotte. I'm being accused of something that I have no recollection of doing. So let's just cut the bullshit, ok? I just want to get this over with so I can get the fuck out of this office and as far away from you as I possibly can."

A soft growl erupted from Sam and he sat up quickly in the chair, turning sharply so he was directly facing her.

Ailis was startled momentarily by the sudden movement, and felt herself start to slide off the edge of the desk where she had been resting her hip. She quickly corrected herself and kept from falling over. After she made sure she was not going to end up on the floor, she finally took a good look at Sam's face. She couldn't contain the sharp, involuntary gasp that left her throat as she took in the mess before her.

Placing her hand around her neck, she felt herself lean her body backwards subtly, as if she was subconsciously trying to distance herself from the man in front of her.

Sam was definitely looking a bit worse for wear. There were deep, angry red rake marks down the left side of his face beginning just beneath his eye and extending to below his mouth. His lip was split in three different places, with blood drying in the right hand corner. His right eye was completely swollen shut and had turned a nasty green color, the bruising starting to spread to his cheek.

Ailis could feel her head shaking in silent denial, refusing to believe what she was seeing, refusing to believe that she could have possibly done this. She was about to speak when she noticed that the edges of Sam's collar were singed in various places, and she quickly closed her mouth. Closing her eyes in horror and revulsion, she had to quickly take a few calming breaths to keep herself from either crying hysterically or throwing up. She couldn't believe that she had done this to another human being. Here she had been accusing Eric of being a monster. But really, was she any different?

She cringed mentally away from the thought. Surely she was nothing like Eric. Right?

Looking at the battered remnants of Sam's face, Ailis could not come up with a definitive yes or no to her question. The fact the she had to question herself left Ailis feeling sick to her stomach. There was no longer a defined line of good and bad, nor could she clearly say which side she was on.

Reeling away from the desk, away from Sam's resentful glare, Ailis made her way blindly towards the office door. She didn't care where she was going, just as long as she could get out of this office, away from all this newfound uncertainty about herself. She desperately needed to just be alone.

Lafayette moved to intercept her. As he went to touch her, she flinched away, whimpering softly in the back of her throat. She hated herself for the sound of weakness that came out her, but she felt a cornered animal that needed a little time to lick its wounds. Plus, she didn't want to hurt anyone else.

"Please, Lafayette. Don't. Just don't. If you touch me now, I will fall apart, and I don't want to do that. Not here, not now. I just…I need to be alone."

Lafayette opened his mouth to protest, but looking into her eyes, he saw the barely restrained panic shimmering in the depths. He could almost feel the pain and misery radiating off her; he'd be damned if he added to that.

Nodding his head, he stepped out of her way. Ailis gave him a tight smile of appreciation, then without a backward glance, she all but ran out of the office, escaping into the balmy Louisiana night.

She couldn't even remember walking across the parking lot, but she found herself sitting in the driver's seat of her car, gripping the steering wheel as if it was the very last bastion of sanity she had left.

Ailis' mind was a complete jumble; she couldn't make herself focus on any one thing. Every time she tried to make sense out of anything, all she could center on was the look in Sam's eyes. There had been revulsion, hatred and a small bit of fear mixed in, enough fear to make her stomach turn. She'd seen that look in his eyes once before, and that was when he spoke about Eric.

How was it that not even fifteen minutes ago, she had been righteously indignant because Sam had insulted her, and now she was sitting here wallowing in self-pity over the fact that Sam looked upon her like some sort of devil in the flesh?

She reached up to wipe her hands across her face and came away with wetness on her fingertips.

Oh great. Just fucking great! Now she had to add insult to injury; she was crying.

Smacking the steering wheel, she screamed angrily in frustration. She needed to get her shit together! She was gaining nothing sitting in the parking lot crying over spilt milk. She had made her bed; she would just have to lie in it. True, Sam had no right to say the things he did, nor judge her. But then again, she had been the one that allowed herself to get angry. She was the one that had not been able to control herself.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she wrenched the key harshly in the ignition. Closing her eyes, she let the hum of the engine wash over her. Leave it to her baby to calm her down.

Smiling subtly, she threw the car in drive and peeled quickly out of the parking lot. She would go home, and do her very best to try and put this day behind her. She had no idea what tomorrow would bring, but she would just worry about that when tomorrow got here.

Pulling into her driveway, Ailis turned her car off and threw the door open. Slamming the door, she walked briskly up to the front door, wanting to get inside before anyone saw her. Needless to say, she was not in the mood for small talk.

Closing and locking the door behind her, she made her way into the kitchen. Opening one of the cupboards, she grabbed a small glass and then made her way to the sink. Flinging open the cabinet below, she reached in and grabbed the bottle of vodka nestled in the recesses.

Yes it may only be eleven o'clock in the morning, but she sure as hell felt like it was past time for a drink.

Pouring herself a tall shot, she deftly flicked her wrist and took the whole thing down in one swallow. Coughing softly, she quickly poured another before she could think twice about it.

She didn't know how long she sat at the kitchen table staring aimlessly out of the window above the sink. She fell into a seamless routine. Pour, drink, repeat.

Through her numbed state, Ailis heard a thumping coming from the front of the house. At first she thought it was the pounding of her head due to all the booze she had ingested, but it soon became apparent that it was in actuality someone at her front door.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she silently prayed to whatever deity might be listening that whoever it was would just go the hell away.

She should have known that with the luck she had been having lately that the odds of her being left in peace were slim to none.

After about ten minutes of the incessant pounding, Ailis decided she had finally had enough.

Gritting her teeth, she slid gingerly out of her chair, making sure that the room wasn't spinning before she stomped her way down the hall.

Flinging the door open, she squinted against the glare of the porch light. Sometime during her drunken binge the sun had set. Looking past the offensive glow, Ailis focused on the intruder standing innocently on her porch. They had no idea that they were poking the bear, and said bear was very, very close to biting back.

Huffing lightly, she settled her hands on her hips and prepared her most fierce glower. "This had better be important," she growled menacingly.

Sookie was a little taken aback by the reception she was receiving and momentarily considered coming back when Ailis was in a better mood. As soon as the thought flitted across her mind she effectively squashed. She was not going anywhere until she got to the bottom of the mess she had walked into as soon as she opened the door of Merlotte's about six hours ago.

"Oh no, missy. You can just take that attitude and shove it where the sun don't shine. Though, if what I have heard is true, you might have a hard time fitting it, what with your head being up there too," Sookie intoned a tad harshly, pointing a no nonsense finger into Ailis' face.

Ailis swallowed quickly in surprise. In the short time she had known Sookie, there were only a handful of times she had seen her lose her cool. She knew that the perky blonde meant business.

Standing there in the glow cast by her porch light, Ailis felt her shoulders sag as she took in all that had happened within last twenty four hours. Hell, to be honest, all of this had been a long time coming. It had all really started nine months ago. She thought that she had dealt with the issues she had surrounding what had happened with Regina, with Eric. But, if she were going to really face the reality of the situation, she had only buried everything; that was evident with the way she had reacted this morning with Sam. She had just been a powder keg waiting to blow, and the confrontation this morning had been the right spark to ignite her fuse.

As much as it might hurt, as much as she would hate to do it, she realized it was high time she faced her demons. She needed to finally talk about what had happened all those months ago. It was the only fair thing to do for those around her, and it was the only way to purge herself of her own personal demons' the only way for her to finally heal.

Sighing dejectedly, Ailis scrubbed a hand across her face. Stepping back she motioned for Sookie to step into the house.

With Sookie standing behind her in the entryway, Ailis slowly closed and locked the door. Leaning against the jamb, more for need of support for what she was about to say than anything else, she took a deep breath.

"The story I am about to tell you is not a pretty one, nor does it have a nice fairy tale ending. Hell, I don't even know if the story is over, or if it ever will be," Ailis remarked, laughing humorously.

Pushing away from the door, she lead the way into the living room. Plopping down on the couch, Ailis grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly to her chest. Staring aimlessly at the opposite wall, she spoke up again in nothing more than a mere whisper. "Let me tell you about the time Eric stole from me the very reason for my existence. Let me tell you about the night I truly understood what an unspeakable monster he was. It all started on a random Thursday night in May…."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp...there we have it. Stay tuned to continue this wild ride that we are on!


	10. Taking the Plunge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ailis ends up with a lot more house-guests eager to hear her story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told you I had ideas. I am trying to flesh more of this story out and get more chapters up as I can. Thank you for continuing to follow this story and to read what I have written. I only own Ailis. All other characters belong to Charlene Harris and Alan Ball.

Just as she was about to take the plunge, there was a loud rapping at her door once more.

_Really? Can I not just get this fucking over with already?_

She fumed inwardly to herself as she hopped up off the couch and crossed over to the front door. Wrenching it open, she put her hand upon her hip.

"What?" she ground out sharply.

Lafayette was standing on her porch, twirling the end of his bandana around his finger. At the tone of her voice, he straightened up, crossing his arms across his chest. Cocking his head to the side, he sucked his teeth in exasperated contempt.

"Hookah, I know you ain't taking that tone of voice with me. Not after the shit storm you put me through this morning."

Ailis leaned heavily against the door jamb. She closed her eyes, and sighed in pure exhaustion, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Lafayette, I'm sorry, but I'm really not in the mood to get into this with you right now. I don't have the mental or emotional strength for it."

"Well, from the look of things, you're just gonna have to make time. If'n you can make it for Sookie, you can damn well extend me the same courtesy. I feel like I have more than earned a _moment_ of your time." He glanced over his shoulder, than looked meaningfully into her eyes before subtly shouldering his way into her home.

Looking into her driveway, she noticed that Sookie had driven her car over. Glancing up at the stars, she prayed for the gods to grant her the strength not to strangle the blonde waitress sitting innocently in her living room.

"Great. The more the merrier," she breathed sarcastically, as she went to close the door once more.

When the door was almost shut, another appendage impeded her progress. Growling loudly, she contemplated just slamming the door shut, damn the person on the other side. Her better nature took over at the last minute and she opened the door, gazing balefully at the irritating visage of Sam Merlotte.

"Why the hell are you at my door tonight of all nights, Sam?" she gritted out, not caring if she was being less than hospitable.

Scowling deeply, Sam refused to meet her eyes. He opened his mouth to answer and Ailis realized she really didn't want to hear anything he had to say.

Holding her hand up, she cut him off before he could speak. "Never mind. Save your breath, Merlotte. I must be out of my mind to let you in here after what you did to me today. You will not speak to me; you won't even open your mouth. You will hear what I have to say and then get the hell out of my house. Then I expect to never see you again in this life or the next, is that understood?"

His brow darkened and she could see he was warring with himself. After a moment he jerked his head once in acquiescence. Sighing heavily and once more questioning her sanity, Ailis moved away from the door and allowed him to pass.

She went to close the door for a third time this night, only to once again find her movement impeded. Snarling loudly, she turned back to the door and felt her stomach give a sick flop when she noticed the unnaturally pale skin of the hand gripping the edge of the jamb. Following the arm, she traced her eyes to the face of her unwanted visitor and let out a quick gush of breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. It was only Vampire Bill.

Sagging against the door, she sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening that it hadn't been Eric. Clearing her throat to make sure it didn't croak, she cocked a brow at Bill. "Something I can help you with, Mr. Compton?"

"Ms. McCullough," he said, bowing formally. "I am sorry to intrude on you this evening, but I believe when we spoke previously at the bar I made it known that I wanted to be privy this conversation you are soon to be having this evening. I feel I have a right to ask this, seeing as how you are becoming such good friends with my human, and your…. _unfortunate_ association with Eric Northman." 

His words were spoken in a benign tone, but his eyes showed that he would brook no argument from her. Feeling that he was within his bounds to ask to be there, she nodded slowly and stepped out of the doorway once more.

"Believe me, Mr. Compton, I would like nothing more to have had nothing to do with Eric Northman. Unfortunately life tends to not be exactly fair." Grimacing darkly at her thoughts, she came back to herself when she heard a low cough. Looking up, she saw Bill still standing on her porch.

Remembering that she had never invited him into her home, she shook herself out of her thoughts and smiled sheepishly at Bill. "Sorry about that. Just got a lot on my mind. Please, come in."

Bill thanked her softly and stepped across the threshold. She pushed the door closed, and was secretly thankful that nothing else was trying to come into her home. Turning, she saw Bill waiting for her.

Smiling sadly down at her, he offered her his arm. "May I escort you, Ms. McCollough?"

That one, simple gesture was enough to make the tears she had been holding at bay come surging to the forefront. She reached out, fighting the lump forming in her throat and latched onto his arm, feeling like it was the only bastion of safety in the swirling tempest that were her thoughts.

"Just take a deep breath and start from the beginning," he murmured encouragingly into her ear as they headed towards the living room.

She nodded her head, not trusting her voice at the moment. She needed to get herself together if she was going to get through this night without turning into a sobbing, blubbering mess.

She squeezed Bill's arm, looking up at him with a small smile of gratitude. "Thank you, Mr-"

"Please, call me Bill," he cut her off.

"Thank you, Bill. I've been terrified at the thought of going over all of this, not knowing where to begin."

He nodded slowly. "It always helps to start at the beginning."

They had reached the living room at this point. Every eye in the room turned to her as she stepped across the threshold. It was vaguely ominous the way they were looking at her, the sense of apprehension in the room. They seemed to sense that this story wasn't going to be pretty.

_Isn't that just the fucking understatement of the century_ , she griped silently to herself as she walked to the table sitting in the middle of the room and hopping up onto it, and plopping down Indian-style. Sookie was sitting on the sofa, Bill leaning against the back of it, his hand resting possessively on her shoulder. Lafayette had thrown himself into the chair beside the fireplace, legs thrown over the arms. Sam was standing in front of the fireplace, leaning up against the mantle. Everyone was looking at her expectantly; all save for Sam who was glaring moodily into the empty grate.

She suddenly felt like an animal at the zoo. All of them were watching her closely, waiting for her to do something amazing. Swallowing thickly, she looked down at her hands. _Start from the beginning,_ she told herself mutely.

"The thing you have to understand about Regina and me is that we were inseparable. Most people figured we had to be related to one another due to the fact that where you found one you would surely see the other following. Not to mention we knew everything about one another and could finish each other's sentences. It used to drive people that knew us crazy," she murmured softly, a misty smile forming slowly.

"All the trouble I ever got into was with Reg. More often than not, she was the one that caused the trouble and I was just along for the ride."

Her eyes took on a faraway look, while her voice dropped an octave. Everyone had to lean in to hear what she was saying. "Of course, the real trouble began about a year ago…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for some backstory. Going to finally see what happened all those months ago with Eric to make little miss Ailis hate his guts. Just know...not all is as it seems...in any capacity...


	11. A Big Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we have a flashback and get a glimpse of the relationship between Ailis and Regina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter in this crazy ride that we are on.
> 
> Once again, I do not own the characters that make up Alan Ball and Charlene Harris's sandbox. Ailis and Regina do however, happen to be mine.
> 
> Enjoy!

_**A year earlier** _

"Oh for the love of God, Ali! Quit being such a stick in the mud."

"I am _not_ going and that's the end of this conversation."

Ailis picked her book up off the bed where she had tossed it as she was yelling down the hall at her wayward roommate. Plugging her headphones back into her ears, she tried to find her place once more in the American Economics text she was slogging her way through.

Her bedroom door flew open, hitting the opposite wall with a thud. A tall, leggy brunette was fuming in the doorway, hands on her hips.

Pulling one bud out, Ailis cocked an eyebrow. "Something I can help you with, Reg?" she intoned nonchalantly.

Regina stomped her foot, huffing in irritation. "Dammit, Ali. I am not going to let you waste yet another perfectly good Saturday night studying!"

Folding her hands across the book in her lap, Ailis let out a large sigh. This was an argument she was all too familiar with.

She put her hand up, effectively cutting Regina off mid-sentence. If allowed, Reg would build up steam, ranting and raving for a good 10-15 minutes at a time.

"Can we skip the part where you tell me I'm wasting my good years stuck in my room, nose buried in a book and that there's a whole world out there that I am missing. Oh, also the part where I'm never going to find a guy in a text book?"

Regina snapped her mouth shut so quickly Ailis could have sworn she heard her teeth click together. Reg's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't get smart with me, missy. That little speech isn't getting you out of this, we are nowhere near done with this conversation," she gritted out, pointing a finger in Ailis' face.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Ailis counted slowly to ten. She wasn't sure what she was trying not to do more, scream or hit her roommate over the head with her weighty econ book. She loved Regina, she did and she knew that her heart was in the right place. Anyone that knew them knew there were no friends closer than her and Reggie. She knew that Reg worried about her and only wanted to see her happy, but sometimes Ailis just couldn't seem to see eye to eye with the brunette.

Regina was definitely the wild child, the life of the party. She hated staying still for longer than 2 minutes and God forbid she ever stay home, especially on a weekend.

Ailis was the exact opposite. Now that was not to say that she didn't enjoy getting out and having fun, she could party with the best of them when the mood struck her. Suffice to say, the mood struck her far less often than it did Regina.

Sighing heavily, knowing that her night of studying was a complete loss, Ailis laid the economics book on the bed beside her.

Fixing Regina with a pointed gaze, she quickly formulated a plan in her mind. "Ok, let's say I agree to go out with you tonight, you have to promise me something."

Regina leaned against the door jamb, cocking an eyebrow skeptically. "What are you up to, McCollough? You never roll over this easy."

Ailis opened her eyes wide, placing a hand over her heart. "Me? Up to something? I do not know what you could possibly mean, Reggie."

Regina snorted loudly and crossed her arms across her chest. "Can the act, Ali. Innocent you are not. What the hell are you up to?"

Ailis sucked her teeth loudly. "First, I'm not _rolling over,_ as you so tactfully put it, as always. Secondly, you have to promise right now or no deal."

Regina pursed her lips in aggravation, but Ailis could see her curiosity burning brightly in her eyes.

Seeing that Ailis was not going to tell her anything unless she acquiesced to her terms, Regina growled loudly in frustration. Throwing her hands up in defeat, she slumped back against the wall. "Fine, I promise. Now, will you tell me what the hell you want," she muttered sullenly.

Ailis grinned widely, taking a moment to bask in her triumph. She sobered quickly and swung her legs so she was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I will go with you tonight, on three conditions. One, I will only stay for an hour, two max, no matter where we go. Two, I will not, I repeat, _not_ be bringing anyone home with me tonight under any circumstances. Last, but certainly not least, you will not pester me to go out with you for a whole month. Deal?"

Regina stood at the door, seemingly at a loss for words. Ailis knew she was trying to think of a way to get around the deal or some sort of witty retort to her conditions.

"Either say yes now or I'm not going anywhere."

Regina's eyes snapped with barely suppressed anger. She knew Ailis was stubborn enough to refuse to go anywhere if she didn't agree to all of the terms set forth.

"Deal," she muttered through gritted teeth.

Clapping her hands together, Ailis stood up from the bed. "Good, glad that's settled. I shall now gladly go wherever your little heart desires."

Reggie's eyes lit up at Ailis' words. The possibilities were endless! She quickly hid her exultation, no need to get Ailis' guard up. She would be damned if she let a perfect opportunity such as had presented itself tonight slip through her fingers.

"Alright, while I think on where to go, get your skinny ass in gear. I expect you dressed and ready to go in 30 minutes."

Sighing heavily, Ailis took one last, longing gaze at her cozy bed and then tromped across her room to her closet. Flinging the doors open, she began a half-hearted search for something to wear.

The fact that she had no idea where she was going tonight made the process a little bit more difficult than usual.

Knowing Reggie, they were probably going somewhere dark, with a lot of booze and loud music. Deciding that she would rather be comfortable, she opted on wearing pants; she selected a black leather pair and threw them on the bed behind her. Now all she needed to do was figure out what kind of shirt to wear. Tapping her finger on her chin, Ailis perused her collection of shirts. She knew it had to be decent enough to pass Reg's inspection, but she would be damned if she was wearing anything overly dressy.

A flash of red caught Ailis' eye. It was prefect, not too revealing, but also not too conservative. She figured she could get away with wearing it. The shirt in question was a deep crimson, with long sleeves, the sides of which had laces starting from the wrist to the shoulder. The material of the sleeves connected under the arm to the body of the shirt, leaving her shoulders completely bare. The sides of the shirt also had the same lacing design as the sleeves. Grabbing the shirt off the rack, she crossed over to her bed and laid it down beside the pants.

Quickly disrobing, she shimmied into the tight leather bottoms and then slid the shirt over her head. Sighing heavily, she eyed her bathroom with a wary eye. As much as she would love to just throw her hair up and be done with, she knew Regina would have a fit. If Ailis didn't do her hair and makeup herself, you better believe Reggie would, and she shuddered at what the final result would probably be.

Grumbling under her breath, she flung her bathroom door open and went to stand in front of her vanity. She scowled at her reflection, jerking a brush off the sink and attempting to detangle the rat's nest atop her head. Taking a clip from the shelf to her left, she flicked her wrist quickly, effectively pinning her hair messily to the nape of her neck.

Turning her head from side to side, she surveyed the effect. Deciding that it was good enough, she quickly opened the mirror and took down the few items she needed to do her makeup. She downright refused to put on foundation. No pancake paste for this girl, thanks. Thankfully she had been blessed with a complexion not predisposed to blemishes.

Grabbing her eyeliner, she applied it to her lids quickly, making sure to play them up; she'd always felt they were her best feature. A smoky eye shadow and mascara completed the process. Grabbing a tube of lip gloss off the sink, she exited the bathroom.

Walking back to the closet, she scanned the floor, trying to decide which pair of shoes out of the hundreds she owned she would wear this evening. It was not an easy process due to the fact that she had so many options, and seeing as how she had no idea where the hell Reg was taking her tonight. Settling for a pair of black, four-inch heeled boots, she sat down on the bed and started putting them on. Granted, four inches weren't the easiest thing to work with, but she never missed an opportunity to add a few inches to her height when she could.

Just as she finished zipping up the left boot, her door swung open.

"Geez, Reg. Ever heard of knocking?" Ailis grumbled, standing up from her bed and adjusting her pant leg over her boot.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Not like you got nothing I ain't seen before, Ali."

Ailis snorted. "Nice vocab and grammar you got there, Reg. Glad to know college has been such a benefit to you."

Regina stuck her tongue out at Ailis. "Are we going to sit here waxing philosophically about my education, or can we please get going before this night is over?" she exclaimed in an irritated tone.

Sighing for what felt like the thousandth time in an hour, Ailis crossed to the table by her bed and grabbed her wallet and keys. "Let's get out of here before I come to my senses," she muttered.

Regina clapped her hands gleefully. "Finally! Come on, you're going to _love_ where we are going."

Ailis highly doubted she was going to enjoy herself half as much as Regina hoped, but she allowed Regina to grab her hand and pull her out of the bedroom, down the hall and out of their apartment. She was slightly apprehensive about where this night was leading. Regina was practically skipping to the car and she had a mischievous sparkle in her eye that Ailis was definitely not a fan of. Needless to say, her suspicions were rising with every passing minute.

Climbing into her car, she buckled her seat belt and started the engine. Turning to Regina, she had to keep from laughing. Reggie was fairly bouncing in her seat like a small child at Christmas. "So are you going to tell me where we are going or do I have to try and guess my way there?"

Regina smiled widely, her eyes twinkling devilishly. Ailis knew that look; it was one that usually preceded situations that got her and Regina into trouble. Needless to say, she was not overly fond of that look. Regina shook her head. "Just drive. I'll navigate."

Ailis crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not liking where this is going. Why won't you tell me where we are going? What are you up to, Reggie?"

Regina's eye narrowed and her jaw set, chin tilted in challenge. Ailis knew that an earful was coming her way. "Listen her, Ailis Faline, you are not going to bully me into doing things your way. You and I had a deal. You said you would go out tonight if I promised to leave you alone. You even went so far as to tell me it was my choice and you'd go _wherever_ I wanted."

Ailis' eyes widened. Regina was serious; she never pulled out the middle name unless she meant business. When there was a pause in her tirade, she saw it as an opportunity to try and smooth over the situation. Opening her mouth to speak, she stopped when Regina pinned her with a baleful glare, holding her hand up to stop her.

"Please Ali, don't back out on me now. Let me have my fun. For once, just trust me and believe that I know what I am doing. For once, just got with it and don't ask questions. Please Ali, for me?"

Ailis couldn't help but feel like a bully. The pleading look in Regina's eye was her undoing. She knew that Reggie wanted to go out and have fun and she wanted her best friend with her. Regina would never knowingly steer her wrong, and she didn't want to ruin her night. And to be honest, Regina was right, she had promised.

Breathing deeply, Ailis plastered a smile on her face. "You're right, you're right. I promised. Give me the directions and let's get this show on the road.

Regina's shoulders slumped as if she had been holding her breath and she gave Ailis a wide, beaming smile. "Thanks, Ali," she murmured.

As Regina started giving directions, Ailis let the smile drop from her face. She hoped to God she hadn't made a horrendous mistake in letting Regina talk her into this.

The directions given were taking Ailis further and further downtown. She had no idea where in the world they were going, which made the knot in her stomach just a little bit tighter.

As she turned onto one of the main streets, she saw a bright light down on the left. She could see that it was some sort of sign, but she was too far away to make out what it said. It was obvious it was a popular place, due to all of the cars she could see from this far away. A line could be seen spilling out onto the sidewalk beside the building.

As she got nearer, she could make out the name of the building. Fangtasia. Her stomach sunk when Regina indicated for her to pull into the overcrowded parking lot.

_Seems like I just answered my own question,_ she moaned silently to herself. _Biggest fucking mistake in the world to let Regina have any kind of control of my evening. If I survive tonight, I swear to God I'm going to kill this woman,_ she inwardly seethed.

_Never again_ , she silently vowed. This is the first and last time she ever gives Regina free reign.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let us know what you think!!
> 
> More to come soon and we will be seeing more of Eric.


	12. Just Ignore Me; Nothing to See Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ailis meets Pam for the first time, realizes that Regina gets in trouble without her and then seems to catch Eric's eye....much to her dismay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any known characters. Regina and Ailis are mine, the rest belong to Charlene Harris and Alan Ball.
> 
> Strap in kids...the fun is getting ready to start!

Fangtasia.

It was a god-awful name to be sure, but it still caused a shiver of terror to race down her spine.

Frowning deeply, she turned to face Regina. "You sure about this, Reg?"

Regina had pulled the visor down on her side and was busy checking her makeup. "Hmm? Sure about what?" she murmured absently.

Ailis motioned towards the building, brow raised.

Pausing with both hands raised to fix the edges of her lipstick, Regina locked eyes with Ailis in the mirror. Cocking her head to the side, she surveyed Ailis shrewdly. "What's the matter, Ali? Do you have something against vampires or is this just another ploy of yours to get out of tonight?"

Ailis' was a bit taken aback by the slight venom lacing Regina's words. She couldn't tell if she was more upset at the idea that Ailis was backing out, or that she might have something against vamps. Not wanting to dwell too long on the last idea, she focused her attention back on Regina's first assumption.

"I'm not trying to back out of anything, Reg. I was just asking. I've never been to a vampire bar, so I'm not sure what to expect."

Regina gazed into Ailis' eyes for a moment more, then seemed to accept her answer. Flipping her visor up, she grabbed her purse. Ailis let out a relieved sigh she had not been aware she was holding back. She'd narrowly avoided an argument with Regina. The night was looking up.

Regina opened her door and looked back at her, smiling widely. "Don't worry; you're going to love it."

Ailis groaned softly, unbuckling her seat belt and piling out on her side of the car. She highly doubted that she was going to "love" anything about this night. More often than not, events that created this amount of excitement in Regina usually were ones she could have very well done without.

Following, albeit unwillingly behind Regina, Ailis was able to take in the group of people waiting in line to get in; they certainly ran the gambit of all walks of life. There were the generic tourists, curious to see vampires before they went back to their humdrum suburban existence. They seemed a bit like sheep being led to slaughter, wide eyed and completely naïve about what awaited them through the shadowed door at the end of the velvet ropes.

Of course, then there were the complete opposite of the spectrum waiting right alongside the tourists. These patrons looked like they had come right out of S & M-R-US. She was certain there was enough leather in this line to fill a whole pasture.

There were also the giggling sorority girls with their short skirts and spilling cleavage that rounded out the group.

Ailis was more than a little averse to looking too closely at the group. Needless to say, she didn't want anyone to take her gaze as some sort of strange, demented idea of interest. Not to mention that she was more than a bit afraid that she might see something that would scar her for life, what with the cut of most of the clothes she was seeing.

Regina turned to her, eyes sparkling with uncontained glee. "Please, Ali, promise me you will try to enjoy yourself. Not just for me, either. This is your night, remember that. You _need_ this."

Ailis tried not to bristle at Regina's words. She knew she meant well. Straightening her spine, she drew on her inner courage. She could do this. It was, after all, only one night out of her life. Smiling softly, she draped her arm around Regina's shoulder. "I will do my very best, hon. You have my word."

Giving Regina a quick peck on the cheek, she pulled away to move forward with the line. As she did, something caught her eye. Taking a moment to look closely at Regina, she realized that she hadn't really noticed what she was wearing. She had certainly pulled out all of the stops tonight that was for sure.

She was wearing a little blue dress, sweetheart cut, covered in silver sparkles. The dress stopped at mid-thigh and she had paired it with sky-high silver heels. Ailis shook her head, smiling ruefully. When Regina wanted to make a statement, stand back; it was definitely going to be big.

Regina moved away from her, and the front of her dress shifted for a moment against her chest. If Ailis had not been watching her, the two neat, semi-healed bites at the top of her breast would have gone completely unnoticed. She knew what they were in an instant. Fang marks.

Ailis closed her eyes, swallowing thickly. She was trying hard to resist the urge to scream. What the hell had she gotten herself into?!

She warred with herself for a moment, debating on the best course of action to take next. She could call Regina out, walk away and go home, or say nothing.

In the end she decided to say nothing. She sure as hell was not leaving Regina along at a place like this, not to mention she had sworn to try and have a good time. She'd wait till they got home, then she would tear Regina a new one.

The line continued to move. Ailis tore her attention away from her wayward roommate and started to concentrate on her breathing and maintaining her focus. She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous, and the feeling was growing stronger the closer to the front of the line they got. She had no idea what to expect from tonight; she was totally and completely out of her element.

Getting nervous in the best situations was never a good thing in her case. She always had a tenuous grasp at best on her "gifts". A situation like this was wreaking havoc with her control. She did _not_ want to feel what most of the people in this line were experiencing. She already had an idea, and it was enough to make her stomach turn. What could be be even worse would be to peek, undesirably, into the nether and see an outcome...or previously bad decision she had no desire to experience as a wayward and definitely disinterested bystander. She shivered softly in revulsion, doubling her efforts at centering herself.

They were just mere feet from the front door when she got her first glimpse of a vampire. A blonde bombshell was manning the entrance. She could have been the poster child for the vamp image. Tight, black leather dress, cinched between her breasts? Check. Pale, almost translucent skin? Check. Blood red lips? Need you ask?

Forties-style curls, smoky lids and a disdainful scowl on her otherwise lovely face completed the picture.

She most certainly had the body to carry off the outfit.

Ailis didn't realize she had been staring until she saw those red lips tilt up into a condescending smirk. "See something you like, sugah? I know I do." The woman's voice was throaty and soft, steeped in seduction. Her eyes promised long nights, filled with sex, tinged with a spark of pain. Ailis had never had a woman look at her in such a manner, and she wasn't sure she particularly liked it.

Striving to keep herself from blushing, Ailis looked down at the floor, where her eyes caught something she definitely lusted after. If ever she had an addiction, hands down it would have to be shoes. The ones she was looking at were definitely cause for a love affair. They were a pair of spiked kitten heels, blood red, that tied around the ankle.

Clearing her throat, she met the vampire's eyes. "Just admiring the footwear."

The vampire arched a brow, her eyes plainly saying she could smell Ailis' bullshit from a mile away. Smilingly widely, in a slightly imposing manner, she held out her hand to take the id from Ailis' hand. "Well," the woman glanced down at the license, "Ailis. If you would like to talk shoes, among _other things_ that you….enjoy," she purred the last word, "let us find a bit more of a private setting to continue that discussion. How about it?"

The blonde stared into her eyes unblinkingly. Ailis stood for a moment longer, but when the blonde made no move to do anything hostile, she started to grow a bit uncomfortable under her gaze. Clearing her throat softly, she reached her hand out and plucked her id out of the vampire's hand. Swallowing sharply, she stepped towards the roped entrance of the club. "I will…uh….keep that in mind," she murmured noncommittally.

The vampire cocked her head to the side, eyeing her with a mixture of curiosity and fascination. Ailis was certain she could have gone a whole lifetime without that look coming her way from such a dangerous creature. She was sure she didn't want to inspire any interest in a being this powerful. Unclipping the rope, the vampire stepped back to let Ailis pass.

"The name's Pam. Don't forget it if you change your mind, sugah."

Ailis barely nodded her head, wanting desperately to lose herself in the crowd in front of her; anything to remove herself from the vampire's penetrating gaze.

Once she had moved away, she realized that Regina was not by her side. Craning her neck behind her, she spotted her roommate still at the door. She was surprised to see Pam leaning into Regina, arm wrapped around her waist. Reggie had a naughty smirk on her face, leaving Ailis with little doubt at what Pam was saying to her. It wasn't a far-fetched conclusion as to where the bite on Regina's breast had come from. She was a bit surprised to see Regina acting that way with another woman, but then again, Regina did march to the beat of her own drum.

Shrugging her shoulders, Ailis turned and moved further into the club. Regina seemed to be familiar with this establishment judging by her behavior, so she was pretty certain she would have no problem finding her way to the bar.

As she walked, Ailis took in the décor. It definitely fit the preconceived notion she had in her mind of what a vamp bar should look like, even if it did border on the stereotypical and almost gaudy aspects of that idea. The walls were a deep red, which was almost funny, due to the whole blood thing. But then again, it was probably easier to hide "accidents" that way. Shuddering at the thought, she turned her attention back to the décor. The booths and furniture were all of a deep, polished black.

The pulsing music and sweaty bodies undulating around her gave an idea of sex, while the vampires sprinkled within the masses hinted at the caged danger that was a mere hands-breadth away.

Ailis made sure to keep a tight rein on her power, taking great care to breathe deeply. If she didn't want to feel the line's emotions, she sure as hell didn't want to feel this crowd's!

Pushing her way toward the bar, she felt ghost hands trailing along her body, some getting way too close to private areas. By the time she reached her stool, she didn't know whether to sue for sexual harassment or light up a cigarette.

She plopped down on a stool, letting out an agitated sigh. She'd been her five minutes and had already been hit on by a female vampire, felt up, and to top it all off, she'd lost the only friend she had in this god-forsaken place. It was turning into a bang up evening!

Looking up she locked eyes with the bartender. He was….intense to say the least. He was huge, at least six foot, with long, greasy dark hair framing a visage of heavy Native American descent. His muscled forearms and shoulders were covered in tattoos.

"What can I get you?" he rumbled over the din of the music, leering unashamedly down her shirt.

Crossing her arms and leaning back, she glared up at him. "For starters, you can keep your eyes on my face. Once you have mastered that, if it's not too hard for you, I'd like a whiskey sour."

The vamp grinned widely, flashing fang. "Coming right up." He turned around and proceeded to fix her drink. Sitting it down in front of her on a coaster, he leaned, in what she presumed was meant to be a seductive manner, on the bar beside the glass. "If you require anything else, and I do mean _anything,_ just let me know." He licked his lips suggestively at her before he turned and walked down the length of the bar to refill another patron's drink.

Ailis had no words for what had just happened. What the hell was going on? Was she a fucking vamp magnet tonight? Did she have "newbie" printed across her forehead?

Swinging around on her bar-stool, she surveyed the room, taking in the scene around her, while simultaneously keeping a lookout for Regina. She saw neither hide nor hair of her roommate, but she did notice a stage she hadn't seen when she first came in. It was empty, save for a large, hand-carved wooden throne. Even from where she was sitting she could tell it was ancient.

There were platforms set up all around the stage outfitted with poles. Various dancers, all in the same state of disrobe, were strutting around the edges of each stage, performing to the crowds below. The vampire dancers were not hard to spot. There was fluidity, a speed to them that was inhuman.

Ailis continued to sip her drink as she sank into her seat and allowed the music to wash over her. The liquor was definitely starting to relax her. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment.

A sense of excitement soon started to well up inside of her. Something was on the brink of happening, something she had been waiting for all night. She was fairly bouncing in her seat, exhilaration thrumming through her veins.

Opening her eyes, she realized she had allowed herself to relax a bit too much. Her guard had fallen and she had been experiencing the feelings of those around her.

A new feeling was seeping into her mind, one that overrode all of the anticipation of before. It was one of pure hunger, tinged with raw evil. She quickly clamped her walls into place. That hunger had left her shaken. Not just with the mere malevolence it embodied, but the fact that for one quick moment, she had enjoyed it.

Shaking her head to remove these uninvited yearnings, she surveyed the room, trying to see what had aroused such a frenzy of emotion. Her eyes quickly found the stage and discovered that it was no longer empty.

A man was sitting…no sitting was not the correct word. He was more draped across the throne than anything. From where she was sitting, she could see that he was large. Not just tall, but a hulking, beast of a man. He was also breathtakingly gorgeous. His long blonde hair framed a face of chiseled planes, beautifully sculpted chin and nose. He had his head down, focusing on the phone in his hand, so she couldn't see his eyes. It struck her funny on some level that he was texting.

His posture and complete neglect of those around him gave the vampire an air of arrogance that immediately repulsed Ailis. She had no desire to learn anything more about the man. The way the people in this club worshiped him no doubt fed into his ego. He didn't need _her_ attention as well.

For a moment, she did let some of her shields drop, allowing her to feel the power emanating from him. Arrogant prick or no, he was definitely a force to be reckoned with. She was ok now more than ever with not getting any closer to him. He was a mystery that could stay just that.

Movement out of the corner of her eye made her turn her head. Regina was making her way towards the bar. Her eyes were heavy lidded, cheeks flushed, and some of her lipstick had worn away at the edges.

Looking up at the stage, Ailis saw the woman, Pam, leaning over the back of the throne. She had a Cheshire grin on her face. Ailis had a good idea as to where Regina had been. Looking back at Regina, she noticed two fang marks on the inside of her wrist as she raised her hand to brush her hair out of her face. _Called it_ , Ailis crowed silently to herself.

Regina spotted her and grinned sheepishly as she sat down beside her. "Sorry to leave you alone, Ali. I got a little…distracted."

Ailis snorted loudly into her drink. "Distracted. Is that what the kids are calling it today? I guess I need to brush up on my slang. In my day, we would have said you just got laid."

Regina smacked Ailis lightly on the shoulder, laughing noisily. "Just shut up and order me a drink, bitch."

"All right, all right. Hold your horses, skank."

Regina mock glared at Ailis as she ordered two more whiskey sours. Settling back into her stool, she took a sip. It was at that particular moment that she felt as if someone were staring at her.

Looking up, she checked to see if the bartender was ogling her again. He was down at the far end of the bar, his back to her. Brow scrunching in confusion, she turned around on the barstool, scanning the bar behind her. It was at that moment that her eyes met a deep, oceanic blue from across the room. It was the man on the throne. He was staring, unblinkingly, straight at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp. We seem to be getting a look at what Ailis is hiding behind her mask of normalcy...and we see that Regina has a bit more of a background with our favorite vamps than we knew. Eric and Ailis' first interaction is coming up.
> 
> Review and let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading. I know this chapter doesn't give away much. It's meant to be a teaser and leave you wanting more. Hopefully I accomplished my goal. Let me know what you thought, and I promise that there is more to come.


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